HISTORY
Firsts
First Transcontinental Crossings of the Atlantic Ocean
This list features the first people to cross the Atlantic Ocean in recorded history.
RANK | PERSON | NATIONALITY | DATE | DESCRIPTION |
1 | Bjarni Herjólfsson | Norse | c. 986 | First recorded crossing to North America (Newfoundland). |
2 | Leif Erikson | Norse | c. 1000 | Explored Vinland (Newfoundland). |
3 | Thorfinn Karlsefni | Norse | c. 1010 | Led an expedition to Vinland; father of Snorri Thorfinnsson, the first European born in the Americas. |
4 | Christopher Columbus | Spanish | 1492-1504 | Four voyages; explored the Caribbean and parts of Central and South America. |
5 | Bartholomew Columbus | Spanish | 1494, 1509 | Accompanied his brother Christopher on voyages to the Antilles. |
6 | John Cabot | English | 1496-1498 | Landed in Newfoundland, exploring for King Henry VII. |
7 | João Fernandes Lavrador | Portuguese | 1498 | Discovered land in North America named after him. |
8 | Pedro Álvares Cabral | Portuguese | 1500 | First European to reach Brazil. |
9 | Gonçalo Coelho | Portuguese | 1501-1504 | Mapped Brazil. |
10 | Sebastian Cabot | English | 1504 | Returned from North American fishing expedition. |
References
