John Cabot
~1450–~1499 · Genoese/Venetian (sailed for England) · Age of Discovery
Known for: First European since the Norse to reach North America, claiming Newfoundland for England and discovering the Grand Banks cod fishery
Cabot was a Genoese-born Venetian citizen who moved to England and convinced Henry VII to fund a westward voyage. He reached Newfoundland in 1497, claimed the land for England, and reported seas so thick with fish that baskets could be lowered to catch them—the Grand Banks cod fishery.
His discovery was economically more important than his territorial claim. He set out on a second voyage in 1498 with five ships and was never heard from again. Like so many Age of Discovery explorers, the ocean that made his reputation also took his life.
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