john cabot 1st voyage

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

By: History.com Editors

Updated: June 6, 2023 | Original: November 9, 2009

John Cabot (or Giovanni Caboto, as he was known in Italy) was an Italian explorer and navigator who was among the first to think of sailing westward to reach the riches of Asia. Though the details of his life and expeditions are subject to debate, by the late 1490s he was living in England, where he gained a commission from King Henry VII to make an expedition across the Atlantic. He set sail in May 1497 and made landfall in late June, probably in modern-day Canada. After returning to England to report his success, Cabot departed on a final expedition in 1498, but was allegedly never seen again.

Giovanni Caboto was born circa 1450 in Genoa, and moved to Venice around 1461; he became a Venetian citizen in 1476. Evidence suggests that he worked as a merchant in the spice trade of the Levant, or eastern Mediterranean, and may have traveled as far as Mecca, then an important trading center for Oriental and Western goods.

He studied navigation and map-making during this period, and read the stories of Marco Polo and his adventures in the fabulous cities of Asia. Similar to his countryman Christopher Columbus , Cabot appears to have become interested in the possibility of reaching the rich gold, silk, gem and spice markets of Asia by sailing in a westward direction.

Did you know? John Cabot's landing in 1497 is generally thought to be the first European encounter with the North American continent since Leif Eriksson and the Vikings explored the area they called Vinland in the 11th century.

For the next several decades, Cabot’s exact activities are unknown; he may have been forced to leave Venice because of outstanding debts. He then spent several years in Valencia and Seville, Spain, where he worked as a maritime engineer with varying degrees of success.

Cabot may have been in Valencia in 1493, when Columbus passed through the city on his way to report to the Spanish monarchs the results of his voyage (including his mistaken belief that he had in fact reached Asia).

By late 1495, Cabot had reached Bristol, England, a port city that had served as a starting point for several previous expeditions across the North Atlantic. From there, he worked to convince the British crown that England did not have to stand aside while Spain took the lead in exploration of the New World , and that it was possible to reach Asia on a more northerly route than the one Columbus had taken.

First and Second Voyages

In 1496, King Henry VII issued letters patent to Cabot and his son, which authorized them to make a voyage of discovery and to return with goods for sale on the English market. After a first, aborted attempt in 1496, Cabot sailed out of Bristol on the small ship Matthew in May 1497, with a crew of about 18 men.

Cabot’s most successful expedition made landfall in North America on June 24; the exact location is disputed, but may have been southern Labrador, the island of Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island. Reports about their exploration vary, but when Cabot and his men went ashore, he reportedly saw signs of habitation but few if any people. He took possession of the land for King Henry, but hoisted both the English and Venetian flags.

Grand Banks

Cabot explored the area and named various features of the region, including Cape Discovery, Island of St. John, St. George’s Cape, Trinity Islands and England’s Cape. These may correspond to modern-day places located around what became known as Cabot Strait, the 60-mile-wide channel running between southwestern Newfoundland and northern Cape Breton Island.

Like Columbus, Cabot believed that he had reached Asia’s northeast coast. He returned to Bristol in August 1497 with extremely favorable reports of the exploration. Among his discoveries was the rich fishing grounds of the Grand Banks off the coast of Canada, where his crew was allegedly able to fill baskets with cod by simply dropping the baskets into the water.

John Cabot’s Final Voyage

In London in late 1497, Cabot proposed to King Henry VII that he set out on another expedition across the north Atlantic. This time, he would continue westward from his first landfall until he reached the island of Cipangu ( Japan ). In February 1498, the king issued letters patent for the second voyage, and that May Cabot set off once again from Bristol, but this time with five ships and about 300 men.

The exact fate of the expedition has not been established, but by July one of the ships had been damaged and sought anchorage in Ireland. Reportedly the other four ships continued westward. It was believed that the ships had been caught in a severe storm, and by 1499, Cabot himself was presumed to have perished at sea.

Some evidence, however, suggests that Cabot and some members of his crew may have stayed in the New World; other documents suggest that he and his crew returned to England at some point. A Spanish map from 1500 includes the northern coast of North America with English place names and the notation “the sea discovered by the English.”

What Did John Cabot Discover?

In addition to laying the groundwork for British land claims in Canada, his expeditions proved the existence of a shorter route across the northern Atlantic Ocean, which would later facilitate the establishment of other British colonies in North America .

One of John Cabot's sons, Sebastian, was also an explorer who sailed under the flags of England and Spain.

John Cabot. Royal Museums Greenwich . Who Was John Cabot? John Cabot University . John Cabot. The Canadian Encyclopedia .

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

• Advertise with us

• History Magazine
• History of England

John Cabot and the first English Expedition to America

Forget Christopher Columbus… this is the story of John Cabot, a Venetian captain who led the first ever European expedition…

Ben Johnson

Did you know that Christopher Columbus never discovered mainland America? In fact, during his first voyage in 1492 he only landed in the West Indies, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, leaving the vast continent of North America untouched since Leif Ericson and his Viking expedition some five centuries earlier.

It was, in fact, a ship commissioned by England’s very own King Henry VII which first reached the American mainland in 1497, albeit led by a Venetian captain called John Cabot. Dropping anchor at Cape Bonavista on Newfoundland on June 24th, Cabot and his English crew only remained on land long enough to fetch some fresh water and claim the land for the Crown. Although the crew did not meet any natives during their brief visit, they did apparently come across tools, nets and the remains of a fire.

For the following weeks Cabot continued to explore the coastline of Canada, making observations and charting the coastline for future expeditions.

Upon arriving back in England in early August, Cabot went straight to London to inform King Henry VII of his discoveries. For a short period of time Cabot was treated as a celebrity throughout the country, although surprisingly Henry only offered him £10 as a reward for his work!

Although Cabot’s expedition would have seen the first Englishmen walk upon the American mainland, it is important to remember that the Welsh were reputedly colonising Alabama as far back the 12th century! You can read the story of Prince Madog and his exploration of America here .

History in your inbox

Sign up for monthly updates

Advertisement

Next article

The discovery of America… by a Welsh Prince?

The discovery of the Americas by Prince Madog who landed in Alabama in 1170.

Popular searches

• Castle Hotels
• Coastal Cottages
• Cottages with Pools
• Kings and Queens

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

• Native Americans
• Age of Exploration
• Revolutionary War
• Mexican-American War
• War of 1812
• World War 1
• World War 2
• Family Trees
• Explorers and Pirates

John Cabot Facts, Voyage, and Accomplishments

Published: Jul 25, 2016 · Modified: Nov 11, 2023 by Russell Yost · This post may contain affiliate links ·

John Cabot was a Genoese navigator and explorer whose 1497 discovery of parts of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is commonly held to have been the first European exploration of the mainland of North America since the Norse Vikings' visits to Vinland in the eleventh century.

It would also be one of the last times, until Queen Elizabeth, that England would set foot in the New World.

John Cabot Facts: Early Life

John cabot facts: england and expeditions, john cabot facts: historical thoughts, online resources.

He may have been born slightly earlier than 1450, which is the approximate date most commonly given for his birth.

In 1471, Caboto was accepted into the religious confraternity of St John the Evangelist. Since this was one of the city's prestigious confraternities, his acceptance suggests that he was already a respected member of the community.

Following his gaining full Venetian citizenship in 1476, Caboto would have been eligible to engage in maritime trade, including the trade to the eastern Mediterranean that was the source of much of Venice's wealth.

A 1483 document refers to his selling a slave in Crete whom he had acquired while in the territories of the Sultan of Egypt, which then comprised most of what is now Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon.

Cabot is mentioned in many Venetian records of the 1480s. These indicate that by 1484, he was married to Mattea and already had at least two sons.

Cabot's sons are Ludovico, Sebastian, and Sancto. The Venetian sources contain references to Cabot's being involved in house building in the city. He may have relied on this experience when seeking work later in Spain as a civil engineer.

Cabot appears to have gotten into financial trouble in the late 1480s and left Venice as an insolvent debtor by 5 November 1488.

He moved to Valencia, Spain, where his creditors attempted to have him arrested. While in Valencia, John Cabot proposed plans for improvements to the harbor. These proposals were rejected.

Early in 1494, he moved on to Seville, where he proposed, was contracted to build, and, for five months, worked on the construction of a stone bridge over the Guadalquivir River. This project was abandoned following a decision of the City Council on 24 December 1494.

After this, Cabot appears to have sought support from the Iberian crowns of Seville and Lisbon for an Atlantic expedition before moving to London to seek funding and political support. He likely reached England in mid-1495.

Like other Italian explorers, including Christopher Columbus , Cabot led an expedition on commission to another European nation, in his case, England.

Cabot planned to depart to the west from a northerly latitude where the longitudes are much closer together and where, as a result, the voyage would be much shorter. He still had an expectation of finding an alternative route to China.

On 5 March 1496, Henry VII gave Cabot and his three sons letters patent with the following charge for exploration:

...free authority, faculty, and power to sail to all parts, regions, and coasts of the eastern, western, and northern sea, under our banners, flags, and ensigns, with five ships or vessels of whatsoever burden and quality they may be, and with so many and with such mariners and men as they may wish to take with them in the said ships, at their own proper costs and charges, to find, discover and investigate whatsoever islands, countries, regions or provinces of heathens and infidels, in whatsoever part of the world placed, which before this time were unknown to all Christians.

Those who received such patents had the right to assign them to third parties for execution. His sons are believed to have still been under the age of 18

Cabot went to Bristol to arrange preparations for his voyage. Bristol was the second-largest seaport in England. From 1480 onward, it supplied several expeditions to look for Hy-Brazil. According to Celtic legend, this island lay somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. There was a widespread belief among merchants in the port that Bristol men had discovered the island at an earlier date but then lost track of it.

Cabot's first voyage was little recorded. Winter 1497/98 letter from John Day (a Bristol merchant) to an addressee believed to be Christopher Columbus refers briefly to it but writes mostly about the second 1497 voyage. He notes, "Since your Lordship wants information relating to the first voyage, here is what happened: he went with one ship, his crew confused him, he was short of supplies and ran into bad weather, and he decided to turn back." Since Cabot received his royal patent in March 1496, it is believed that he made his first voyage that summer.

What is known as the "John Day letter" provides considerable information about Cabot's second voyage. It was written during the winter of 1497/8 by Bristol merchant John Day to a man who is likely Christopher Columbus . Day is believed to have been familiar with the key figures of the expedition and thus able to report on it.

If the lands Cabot had discovered lay west of the meridian laid down in the Treaty of Tordesillas, or if he intended to sail further west, Columbus would likely have believed that these voyages challenged his monopoly rights for westward exploration.

Leaving Bristol, the expedition sailed past Ireland and across the Atlantic, making landfall somewhere on the coast of North America on 24 June 1497. The exact location of the landfall has long been disputed, with different communities vying for the honor.

Cabot is reported to have landed only once during the expedition and did not advance "beyond the shooting distance of a crossbow." Pasqualigo and Day both state that the expedition made no contact with any native people; the crew found the remains of a fire, a human trail, nets, and a wooden tool.

The crew appeared to have remained on land just long enough to take on fresh water; they also raised the Venetian and Papal banners, claiming the land for the King of England and recognizing the religious authority of the Roman Catholic Church. After this landing, Cabot spent some weeks "discovering the coast," with most "discovered after turning back."

On return to Bristol, Cabot rode to London to report to the King.

On 10 August 1497, he was given a reward of £10 – equivalent to about two years' pay for an ordinary laborer or craftsman. The explorer was feted; Soncino wrote on 23 August that Cabot "is called the Great Admiral and vast honor is paid to him and he goes dressed in silk and these English run after him like mad."

Such adulation was short-lived, for over the next few months, the King's attention was occupied by the Second Cornish Uprising of 1497, led by Perkin Warbeck.

Once Henry's throne was secure, he gave more thought to Cabot. On 26 September, just a few days after the collapse of the revolt, the King made an award of £2 to Cabot. In December 1497, the explorer was awarded a pension of £20 per year, and in February 1498, he was given a patent to help him prepare a second expedition.

In March and April, the King also advanced a number of loans to Lancelot Thirkill of London, Thomas Bradley, and John Cair, who were to accompany Cabot's new expedition.

Cabot departed with a fleet of five ships from Bristol at the beginning of May 1498, one of which had been prepared by the King. Some of the ships were said to be carrying merchandise, including cloth, caps, lace points, and other "trifles."

This suggests that Cabot intended to engage in trade on this expedition. The Spanish envoy in London reported in July that one of the ships had been caught in a storm and been forced to land in Ireland but that Cabot and the other four ships had continued on.

For centuries, no other records were found (or at least published) that relate to this expedition; it was long believed that Cabot and his fleet were lost at sea. But at least one of the men scheduled to accompany the expedition, Lancelot Thirkill of London, is recorded as living in London in 1501.

The historian Alwyn Ruddock worked on Cabot and his era for 35 years. She had suggested that Cabot and his expedition successfully returned to England in the spring of 1500. She claimed their return followed an epic two-year exploration of the east coast of North America, south into the Chesapeake Bay area and perhaps as far as the Spanish territories in the Caribbean. Ruddock suggested Fr. Giovanni Antonio de Carbonariis and the other friars who accompanied the 1498 expedition had stayed in Newfoundland and founded a mission.

If Carbonariis founded a settlement in North America, it would have been the first Christian settlement on the continent and may have included a church, the only medieval church to have been built there.

The Cabot Project at the University of Bristol was organized in 2009 to search for the evidence on which Ruddock's claims rest, as well as to undertake related studies of Cabot and his expeditions.

The lead researchers on the project, Evan Jones and Margaret Condon, claim to have found further evidence to support aspects of Ruddock's case, particularly in relation to the successful return of the 1498 expedition to Bristol.

They have located documents that appear to place John Cabot in London by May 1500 but have yet to publish their documentation.

• John Cabot's Wikipedia Page
• Cabot Project
• Find a Grave: John Cabot Memorial
• John Cabot Study Guide
• The History Junkie's Guide to Famous Explorers
• The History Junkie's Guide to Colonial America

Search The Canadian Encyclopedia

Enter your search term

Why sign up?

Signing up enhances your TCE experience with the ability to save items to your personal reading list, and access the interactive map.

• MLA 8TH EDITION
• Hunter, Douglas . "John Cabot". The Canadian Encyclopedia , 19 May 2017, Historica Canada . www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-cabot. Accessed 14 June 2024.
• The Canadian Encyclopedia , 19 May 2017, Historica Canada . www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-cabot. Accessed 14 June 2024." href="#" class="js-copy-clipboard b b-md b-invert b-modal-copy">Copy
• APA 6TH EDITION
• Hunter, D. (2017). John Cabot. In The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-cabot
• The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-cabot" href="#" class="js-copy-clipboard b b-md b-invert b-modal-copy">Copy
• CHICAGO 17TH EDITION
• Hunter, Douglas . "John Cabot." The Canadian Encyclopedia . Historica Canada. Article published January 07, 2008; Last Edited May 19, 2017.
• The Canadian Encyclopedia . Historica Canada. Article published January 07, 2008; Last Edited May 19, 2017." href="#" class="js-copy-clipboard b b-md b-invert b-modal-copy">Copy
• TURABIAN 8TH EDITION
• The Canadian Encyclopedia , s.v. "John Cabot," by Douglas Hunter, Accessed June 14, 2024, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-cabot
• The Canadian Encyclopedia , s.v. "John Cabot," by Douglas Hunter, Accessed June 14, 2024, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-cabot" href="#" class="js-copy-clipboard b b-md b-invert b-modal-copy">Copy

Thank you for your submission

Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions.

Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Article by Douglas Hunter

Published Online January 7, 2008

Last Edited May 19, 2017

Early Years in Venice

John Cabot had a complex and shadowy early life. He was probably born before 1450 in Italy and was awarded Venetian citizenship in 1476, which meant he had been living there for at least fifteen years. People often signed their names in different ways at this time, and Cabot was no exception. In one 1476 document he identified himself as Zuan Chabotto, which gives a clue to his origins. It combined Zuan, the Venetian form for Giovanni, with a family name that suggested an origin somewhere on the Italian peninsula, since a Venetian would have spelled it Caboto. He had a Venetian wife, Mattea, and three sons, one of whom, Sebastian, rose to the rank of pilot-major of Spain for the Indies trade. Cabot was a merchant; Venetian records identify him as a hide trader, and in 1483 he sold a female slave in Crete. He was also a property developer in Venice and nearby Chioggia.

Cabot in Spain

In 1488, Cabot fled Venice with his family because he owed prominent people money. Where the Cabot family initially went is unknown, but by 1490 John Cabot was in Valencia, Spain, which like Venice was a city of canals. In 1492, he partnered with a Basque merchant named Gaspar Rull in a proposal to build an artificial harbour for Valencia on its Mediterranean coast. In April 1492, the project captured the enthusiasm of Fernando (Ferdinand), king of Aragon and husband of Isabel, queen of Castille, who together ruled what is now a unified Spain. The royal couple had just agreed to send Christopher Columbus on his now-famous voyage to the Americas. In the autumn of 1492, Fernando encouraged the governor-general of Valencia to find a way to finance Cabot’s harbour scheme. However, in March 1493, the council of Valencia decided it could not fund Cabot’s plan. Despite Fernando’s attempt to move the project forward that April, the scheme collapsed.

Cabot disappeared from the historical record until June 1494, when he resurfaced in another marine engineering plan dear to the Spanish monarchs. He was hired to build a fixed bridge link in Seville to its maritime centre, the island of Triana in the Guadalquivir River, which otherwise was serviced by a troublesome floating one. Though Columbus had reached the Americas, he believed he had found land on the eastern edge of Asia, and Seville had been chosen as the headquarters of what Spain imagined was a lucrative transatlantic trade route. Cabot’s assignment thus was an important one, but something went wrong. In December 1494, a group of leading citizens of Seville gathered, unhappy with Cabot’s lack of progress, given the funds he had been provided. At least one of them thought he should be banished from the city. By then, Cabot probably had left town.

Cabot in England

Following the demise of Cabot’s Seville bridge project, the marine engineer again disappeared from the historical record. In March 1496 he resurfaced, this time as the commander of a proposed westward voyage under the flag of the King of England, Henry VII. Although there is no documentary proof, during Cabot’s absence from the historical record, between April 1493 and June 1494, he could have sailed with Columbus’s second voyage to the Caribbean. Most of the names of the over 1,000 people who accompanied Columbus weren’t recorded; however, Cabot could have been among the marine engineers on the voyage’s 17 ships who were expected to construct a harbour facility in what is now Haiti. Had Cabot been present on this journey, Henry VII would have had some basis to believe the would-be Venetian explorer could make a similar voyage to the far side of the Atlantic. It would help explain why Henry VII hired Cabot, a foreigner with a problematic résumé and no known nautical expertise, to make such a journey.

On 5 March 1496, Henry awarded Cabot and his three sons a generous letters patent, a document granting them the right to explore and exploit areas unknown to Christian monarchs. The Cabots were authorized to sail to “all parts of the eastern, western and northern sea, under our banners, flags and ensigns,” with as many as five ships, manned and equipped at their own expense. The Cabots were to “find, discover and investigate whatsoever islands, countries, regions or provinces of heathens and infidels, in whatsoever part of the world placed, which before this time were unknown to all Christians.” The Cabots would serve as Henry’s “vassals, and governors lieutenants and deputies” in whatever lands met the criteria of the patent, and they were given the right to “conquer, occupy and possess whatsoever towns, castles, cities and islands by them discovered.” With the letters patent, the Cabots could secure financial backing. Two payments were made in April and May 1496 to John Cabot by the House of Bardi (a family of Florentine merchants) to fund his search for “the new land,” suggesting his investors thought he was looking for more than a northern trade route to Asia.

First Voyage (1496)

Cabot’s first voyage departed Bristol, England, in 1496. Sailing westward in the north Atlantic was no easy task. The prevailing weather patterns track from west to east, and ships of Cabot’s time could scarcely sail toward the wind. No first-hand accounts of Cabot’s first attempt to sail west survive. Historians only know that it was a failure, with Cabot apparently rebuffed by stormy weather.

Second Voyage (1497)

Cabot mounted a second attempt from Bristol in May 1497, using a ship called the Matthew . It may have been a happy coincidence that its name was the English version of Cabot’s wife’s name, Mattea. There are no records of the ship’s individual crewmembers, and all the accounts of the voyage are second-hand — a remarkable lack of documentation for a voyage that would be the foundation of England’s claim to North America.

Historians have long debated exactly where Cabot explored. The most authoritative report of his journey was a letter by a London merchant named Hugh Say. Written in the winter of 1497-98, but only discovered in Spanish archives in the mid-1950s, Say’s letter (written in Spanish) was addressed to a “great admiral” in Spain who may have been Columbus.

The rough latitudes Say provided suggest Cabot made landfall around southern Labrador and northernmost Newfoundland , then worked his way southeast along the coast until he reached the Avalon Peninsula , at which point he began the journey home. Cabot led a fearful crew, with reports suggesting they never ventured more than a crossbow’s shot into the land. They saw two running figures in the woods that might have been human or animal and brought back an unstrung bow “painted with brazil,” suggesting it was decorated with red ochre by the Beothuk of Newfoundland or the Innu of Labrador. He also brought back a snare for capturing game and a needle for making nets. Cabot thought (wrongly) there might be tilled lands, written in Say’s letter as tierras labradas , which may have been the source of the name for Labrador. Say also said it was certain the land Cabot coasted was Brasil, a fabled island thought to exist somewhere west of Ireland.

Others who heard about Cabot’s voyage suggested he saw two islands, a misconception possibly resulting from the deep indentations of Newfoundland’s Conception and Trinity Bays, and arrived at the coast of East Asia. Some believed he had reached another fabled island, the Isle of Seven Cities, thought to exist in the Atlantic.

There were also reports Cabot had found an enormous new fishery. In December 1497, the Milanese ambassador to England reported hearing Cabot assert the sea was “swarming with fish, which can be taken not only with the net, but in baskets let down with a stone.” The fish of course were cod , and their abundance on the Grand Banks later laid the foundation for Newfoundland’s fishing industry.

Third Voyage (1498)

Henry VII rewarded Cabot with a royal pension on December 1497 and a renewed letters patent in February 1498 that gave him additional rights to help mount the next voyage. The additional rights included the ability to charter up to six ships as large as 200 tons. The voyage was again supposed to be mounted at Cabot’s expense, although the king personally invested in one participating ship. Despite reports from the 1497 voyage of masses of fish, no preparations were made to harvest them.

A flotilla of probably five ships sailed in early May. What became of it remains a mystery. Historians long presumed, based on a flawed account by the chronicler Polydore Vergil, that all the ships were lost, but at least one must have returned. A map made by Spanish cartographer Juan de la Cosa in 1500 — one of the earliest European maps to incorporate the Americas — included details of the coastline with English place names, flags and the notation “the sea discovered by the English.” The map suggests Cabot’s voyage ventured perhaps as far south as modern New England and Long Island.

Cabot’s royal pension did continue to be paid until 1499, but if he was lost on the 1498 voyage, it may only have been collected in his absence by one of his sons, or his widow, Mattea.

Despite being so poorly documented, Cabot’s 1497 voyage became the basis of English claims to North America. At the time, the westward voyages of exploration out of Bristol between 1496 and about 1506, as well as one by Sebastian Cabot around 1508, were probably considered failures. Their purpose was to secure trade opportunities with Asia, not new fishing grounds, which not even Cabot was interested in, despite praising the teeming schools. Instead of trade with Asia, Cabot and his Bristol successors found an enormous land mass blocking the way and no obvious source of wealth.

• Newfoundland and Labrador

Further Reading

Douglas Hunter, The Race to the New World: Christopher Columbus, John Cabot and a Lost History of Discovery (2012).

External Links

Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador A biography of John Cabot from this site sponsored by Memorial University.

Dictionary of Canadian Biography An account of John Cabot’s life from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

Recommended

Giovanni da verrazzano, jacques cartier, sir humphrey gilbert: elizabethan explorer.

Find out how Cabot helped kick-start England's transatlantic voyages of discovery

Italian explorer, John Cabot, is famed for discovering Newfoundland and was instrumental in the development of the transatlantic trade between England and the Americas. 

Although not born in England, John Cabot led English ships on voyages of discovery in Tudor times. John Cabot (about 1450–98) was an experienced Italian seafarer who came to live in England during the reign of Henry VII. In 1497 he sailed west from Bristol hoping to find a shorter route to Asia, a land believed to be rich in gold, spices and other luxuries. After a month, he discovered a 'new found land', today known as Newfoundland in Canada. Cabot is credited for claiming North America for England and kick-starting a century of English transatlantic exploration.

Why did Cabot come to England?

Born in Genoa around 1450, Cabot's Italian name was Giovanni Caboto. He had read of fabulous Chinese cities in the writings of Marco Polo and wanted to see them for himself. He hoped to reach them by sailing west, across the Atlantic.

Like Christopher Columbus, Cabot found it very difficult to convince backers to pay for the ships he needed to test out his ideas about the world. After failing to persuade the royal courts of Europe, he arrived with his family in 1484, to try to persuade merchants in London and Bristol to pay for his planned voyage. Before he set off, Cabot heard that Columbus had sailed west across the Atlantic and reached land. At the time, everyone believed that this land was the Indies, or Spice Islands.

Why did King Henry VII agree to help to pay for Cabot's expedition?

If Cabot’s predictions about the new route were right, he wouldn’t be the only one to profit. King Henry VII would also take his share. Everybody believed that Cathay and Cipangu (China and Japan) were rich in gold, gems, spices and silks. If Asia had been where Cabot thought it was, it would have made England the greatest trading centre in the world for goods from the east.

What did Cabot find on his voyage?

John Cabot's ship, the Matthew , sailed from Bristol with a crew of 18 in 1497. After a month at sea, he landed and took the area in the name of King Henry VII. Cabot had reached one of the northern capes of Newfoundland. His sailors were able to catch huge numbers of cod simply by dipping baskets into the water. Cabot was rewarded with the sum of £10 by the king, for discovering a new island off the coast of China! The king would’ve been far more generous if Cabot had brought home spices.

What happened to Cabot?

In 1498, Cabot was given permission by Henry VII to take ships on a new expedition to continue west from Newfoundland. The aim was to discover Japan. Cabot set out from Bristol with 300 men in May 1498. The five ships carried supplies for a year's travelling. There is no further record of Cabot and his crews, though there is now some evidence he may have returned and died in England. His son, Sebastian (1474–1577), followed in his footsteps, exploring various parts of the world for England and Spain.

View a replica of John Cabot's ship, which is open to the public in Bristol

Gifts inspired by seafaring in the Tudor and Stuart eras

Learn more about the emergence of a maritime nation

• Art History
• U.S. History

Italian or French or English?

Cabot’s biological name and birthplace has been the subject of debates throughout history. In Italy, he was famously known as Giovanni Caboto . However, evidence from the early 15th century point to Cabot’s background as being non-Italian. In France, he was known as Jean Cabot , while in Spain, he is named Juan Caboto . Also according to the 1484 Venetian Testamentary documentation, Cabot registered himself under the name “Zuan Chaboto” in Venice. In England, he used the name “John Cabot” which was supported by the Venetian residents in London. In October 2010, an anonymous Italian banker from London discovered a document pertaining to Cabot’s original name, which was reportedly identified as “Giovanni Chabotte.”

Naturalized Citizenship

Based on ancient Venetian records, Cabot became an active member of a religious confraternity administered by the St. John the Evangelist Brotherhood in 1470. Seven years later, Cabot acquired his first-ever Venetian citizenship which allowed him to play a crucial role in the Mediterranean maritime trading years. In 1483, Cabot documented the detailed events covered throughout the trade, one of which included the selling of “Crete” slaves in the Sultan Territories of Egypt . In 1497, he visited the Milanese ambassador to London who was then based in the Mecca region in the Arab states. Due to his key roles in pioneering the Venetian years of exploration, he was given the name “Zuan Cabotto.”

In 1484, Cabot married a Venetian named Mattea . The couple eventually had three sons – Sebastian, Ludovico and Sancto. According to Venetian sources, Cabot settled in Spain to pursue his civil engineering profession months after he built a house for his family. After dealing with financial issues during the late 1480s, Cabot migrated from Venice to work as a full-time insolvent debtor in Valencia in November 1488. During his stay in Valencia, some creditors attempted to arrest him in accordance with the “Lettre De Raccomandiazone a Giustizia” (A Letter of Recommendation to Justice). However, the attempt failed to push through after Cabot’s proposals under his “John Cabot Montecalunya” document were rejected by authorities in Valencia. In 1494, Cabot moved to Seville where he worked on the proposal of the Guadalquivir River Bridge construction. The Seville city council initially rejected Cabot’s proposal in December 1494. Cabot continued migrating from one place to another until he finally reached the English territory in 1495.

Explorers Abound

Cabot’s first voyage began in 1497. Bristol-based merchant John Day , who happened to be one of Cabot’s backers, wrote a letter to Columbus. The letter stated the significance of the 1497 voyage, which eventually provoked Columbus’ decision to take a crucial role in it. In March 1496, Cabot finally received his patent from Columbus. The second part of voyage meanwhile started during the annual feast of St. John the Baptist in June 1497. During Cabot’s second voyage, he found a ship from a certain American island. The ship, which was initially found by the Bristow merchants, was recovered by Cabot’s navigation team in August 1497.

In the middle of 1497, the Newfoundland Post Office in America commemorated the 400th day of Cabot’s North American voyage. The office issued a commemorative stamp in honor of Cabot. According to the Bristol Chronicler publication, the first voyage letter submitted to Columbus was actually issued by an anonymous Venetian merchant in Bristol. Cabot became aware of the publicized issue, yet he neither confirmed nor denied it. The dispatch for the second letter was reportedly issued by the Duke of Milan who admittedly mentioned the short details of Cabot’s succeeding voyages.

Northwest Passage

After Cabot’s two voyages, he immediately approached Henry VII . In August 10, 1497, the king rewarded Cabot 10 pounds – which were then the equivalent of his salary during the first two years of working as a craftsman in London. In August 23 of the same year, Venetian explorer Soncino praised Cabot for being a great admiral in the Atlantic and North American voyage. Perkin Warbeck , who secured Henry VII’s throne during the 1497 Second Cornish Uprising, awarded him 20 pounds worth of pension grants in December 1497. In February 1498, Warbeck gave Cabot his full royal patent acquisition for his succeeding expeditions. The Great Chronicle, a London newspaper, reported that Cabot departed along with five ships from Bristol during the first week of May 1498. The departure was approved by Henry VII. According to the Spanish envoy based in London, one of the ships was devastated by a powerful storm. Cabot and his league of navigation backers unexpectedly landed in Ireland after the destruction. In 1499, Cabot fulfilled his final voyage – the North West Passage expedition.

Cabot’s exact cause of death remains a mystery in the chronicles of history. However, his legacy continues to be very well-respected all around the world. In 1972, the John Cabot University was established in Rome, Italy. A decade later, the exalted John Cabot bronze statue designed by Stephen Joyce was created. The latter is currently displayed at the Bristol Harbour area. The Cabot Circus shopping center opened at Bristol in 1998.

Newest Additions

• Malala Yousafzai
• Greta Thunberg
• Frederick Douglass
• Wangari Maathai

Copyright © 2020 · Totallyhistory.com · All Rights Reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

Colonial History of the United States

John Cabot's Voyage

John Cabot's voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is the earliest-known European exploration of coastal North America since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century.

Ask Herodotus

Do you have a question about this event or anything History related?

HistoryMaps Shop

Heroes of the American Revolution Painting

Explore the rich history of the American Revolution through this captivating painting of the Continental Army. Perfect for history enthusiasts and art collectors, this piece brings to life the bravery and struggles of early American soldiers.

Support HM Project

HistoryMaps

History of Scotland

History of Islamic Tiles

Nomadic Warriors of the Eurasian Steppes

Caravanserai

Battle of Noryang

We value your feedback. If you find any missing, misleading, or false information, please let us know. Please cite the specific story and event, briefly explain the issue, and (if possible) include your source(s). Also, if you encounter any content on our site you suspect might infringe copyright protections, do let us know. We are committed to respecting intellectual property rights and will promptly address any issues raised. Thank you.

• CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS (Cristoforo Colombo), an Italian sailing for Spain, who explored the Caribbean islands in four voyages from 1492 to 1504, and who insisted to the end that he had landed in or near Asia [Columbus, Letter to Luis de Sant Angel, Treasurer of Aragon, 1493]
• JOHN CABOT (Giovanni Caboto), an Italian sailing for England, who in 1497 explored the northeast coast of North America in the region of Newfoundland, and was certain he had reached northeast Asia [Letter from Lorenzo Pasqualigo to his brothers, August 1497; Raimondo di Soncino to the Duke of Milan, first and second despatches, 1497]
• GASPAR CORTE REAL, a Portuguese sailing for Portugal, who explored the same region as Cabot in 1500 and 1501, failing to find a northwest passage and losing his life in the search. [Pietro Pasqualigo, Letter to his brothers, 1501]

Explorers of the Americas , brief overviews from Enchanted Learning 1492: An Ongoing Voyage , from the Library of Congress The Columbus Letter , from the University of Southern Maine, Osher Map Library Journal and Letters of Columbus , full text in English, in American Journeys: Eyewitness Accounts of American Exploration and Settlement (Wisconsin Historical Society) The Voyages of John Cabot , full text of related documents in English, in American Journeys

10 Famous Explorers Whose Discoveries Connected the World

From Christopher Columbus to Marco Polo, these celebrated—and controversial—explorers made groundbreaking journeys across the globe.

Some of these explorers, like Christopher Columbus , are both celebrated and vilified today. Others, like Ferdinand Magellan and Francisco Pizarro , were met with violent and untimely deaths. And some, like Marco Polo , failed to received recognition in their lifetime, only to have their discoveries confirmed centuries later.

Learn more about some of the history’s most famous explorers and what they are remembered for today.

Time Period: Late 13 th century Destination: Asia

Marco Polo was a Venetian explorer known for the book The Travels of Marco Polo , which describes his voyage to and experiences in Asia. Polo traveled extensively with his family, journeying from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295, remaining in China for 17 of those years. As the years wore on, Polo rose through the ranks, serving as governor of a Chinese city. Later, Kublai Khan appointed him as an official of the Privy Council. At one point, he was the tax inspector in the city of Yanzhou.

Around 1292, he left China, acting as consort along the way to a Mongol princess who was being sent to Persia. In the centuries since his death, Polo has received the recognition that failed to come his way during his lifetime. So much of what he claimed to have seen has been verified by researchers, academics, and other explorers. Even if his accounts came from other travelers he met along the way, Polo’s story has inspired countless other adventurers to set off and see the world.

Christopher Columbus

Time Period: Turn of the 16 th century Destination: Caribbean and South America

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator. Columbus first went to sea as a teenager, participating in several trading voyages in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. One such voyage, to the island of Khios, in modern-day Greece, brought him the closest he would ever come to Asia.

In 1492, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in the Santa Maria , with the Pinta and the Niña ships alongside, hoping to find a new route to India. Between that year and 1504, he made a total of four voyages to the Caribbean and South America and has been credited—and blamed —for opening up the Americas to European colonization. Columbus died in May 1506, probably from severe arthritis following an infection, still believing he had discovered a shorter route to Asia.

More about Christopher Columbus

Amerigo Vespucci

Time period: turn of the 16 th century destination: south america.

America was named after Amerigo Vespucci , a Florentine navigator and explorer who played a prominent role in exploring the New World.

On May 10, 1497, Vespucci embarked on his first voyage, departing from Cadiz with a fleet of Spanish ships. In May 1499, sailing under the Spanish flag, Vespucci embarked on his next expedition, as a navigator under the command of Alonzo de Ojeda. Crossing the equator, they traveled to the coast of what is now Guyana, where it’s believed that Vespucci left Ojeda and went on to explore the coast of Brazil. During this journey, Vespucci is said to have discovered the Amazon River and Cape St. Augustine.

On his third and most successful voyage, he discovered present-day Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata. Believing he had discovered a new continent, he called South America the New World. In 1507, America was named after him . He died of malaria in Seville, Spain, in February 1512.

More about Amerigo Vespucci

Time Period: Late 15 th century Destination: Canada

John Cabot was a Venetian explorer and navigator known for his 1497 voyage to North America, where he made a British claim to land in Canada, mistaking it for Asia . The precise location of Cabot’s landing is subject to controversy. Some historians believe that Cabot landed at Cape Breton Island or mainland Nova Scotia. Others believe he might have landed at Newfoundland, Labrador, or even Maine.

In February 1498, Cabot was given permission to make a new voyage to North America. The May, he departed from Bristol, England, with five ships and a crew of 300 men. En route, one ship became disabled and sailed to Ireland, while the other four ships continued on. On the journey, Cabot disappeared, and his final days remain a mystery. It’s believed Cabot died sometime in 1499 or 1500, but his fate remains a mystery.

More about John Cabot

Ferdinand Magellan

Time Period: Early 16 th century Destination: Global circumnavigation

While in the service of Spain, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the first European voyage of discovery to circumnavigate the globe. As a boy, Magellan studied mapmaking and navigation. In 1505, when Magellan was in his mid-20s, he joined a Portuguese fleet that was sailing to East Africa. By 1509, he found himself at the Battle of Diu, in which the Portuguese destroyed Egyptian ships in the Arabian Sea. Two years later, he explored Malacca, located in present-day Malaysia, and participated in the conquest of Malacca’s port.

In 1519, with the support of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (also known as Spain’s King Charles I), Magellan set out to find a better route to the Spice Islands. In March 1521, Magellan’s fleet reached Homonhom Island on the edge of the Philippines with less than 150 of the 270 men who started the expedition. Magellan traded with the island’s king Rajah Humabon, and their bond quickly formed. The Spanish crew soon became involved in a war between Humabon and another rival leader, and Magellan was killed in battle in April 1521.

More about Ferdinand Magellan

Hernán Cortés

Time period: 16 th century destination: central america.

Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador who explored Central America, overthrew Montezuma and his vast Aztec empire, and won Mexico for the crown of Spain. He first set sail to the New World at the age of 19. Cortés later joined an expedition to Cuba.

In 1518, he set off to explore Mexico. Cortés became allies with some of the Indigenous peoples he encountered there, but with others, he used deadly force to conquer Mexico . He fought Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors and then set his sights on taking over the Aztec empire. In their bloody battles for domination over the Aztecs, Cortés and his men are estimated to have killed as many as 100,000 Indigenous peoples. In his role as the Spanish king, Emperor Charles V appointed him the governor of New Spain in 1522.

More about Hernán Cortés

Sir Francis Drake

Time period: late 16 th century destination: global circumnavigation.

English admiral Sir Francis Drake was the second person to circumnavigated the globe and was the most renowned seaman of the Elizabethan era. In 1577, Drake was chosen as the leader of an expedition intended to pass around South America, through the Strait of Magellan, and explore the coast that lay beyond. Drake successfully completed the journey and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I upon his triumphant return in 1580.

In 1588, Drake saw action in the English defeat of the Spanish Armada , though he died in 1596 from dysentery after undertaking an unsuccessful raiding mission.

More about Francis Drake

Sir Walter Raleigh

Time Period: Late 16 th century Destination: United States

Sir Walter Raleigh was an English explorer, soldier, and writer. At age 17, he fought with the French Huguenots and later studied at Oxford. He became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I after serving in her army in Ireland. He was knighted in 1585 and, within two years, became captain of the Queen’s Guard.

An early supporter of colonizing North America, Raleigh sought to establish a colony, but the queen initially forbade him to leave her service. Between 1585 to 1588, he invested in a number of expeditions across the Atlantic, attempting to establish a colony near Roanoke, on the coast of what is now North Carolina, and name it “Virginia” in honor of the virgin queen, Elizabeth. Accused of treason by King James I, Raleigh was imprisoned and eventually put to death.

More about Walter Raleigh

Time Period: Late 18 th century Destination: New Zealand and Australia

James Cook was a naval captain, navigator, and explorer. After serving as an apprentice, Cook eventually joined the British Navy and, at age 29, was promoted to ship’s master. During the Seven Years War that began in 1756, he commanded a captured ship for the Royal Navy. Then, in 1768, he took command of the first scientific expedition to the Pacific.

In 1770, on his ship the HMB Endeavour , Cook charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. This area has since been credited as one of the world’s most dangerous areas to navigate . He later disproved the existence of Terra Australis, a fabled southern continent. Cook’s voyages helped guide generations of explorers and provided the first accurate map of the Pacific.

More about James Cook

Francisco Pizarro

Time period: early 16 th century destination: central and south america.

In 1513, Spanish explorer and conquistador Francisco Pizarro joined Vasco Núñez de Balboa in his march to the “South Sea,” across the Isthmus of Panama. During their journey, Balboa and Pizarro discovered what is now known as the Pacific Ocean, though Balboa allegedly spied it first and was therefore credited with the ocean’s first European discovery.

In 1528, Pizarro went back to Spain and managed to procure a commission from Emperor Charles V. Pizarro was to conquer the southern territory and establish a new Spanish province there. In 1532, accompanied by his brothers, Pizarro overthrew the Inca leader Atahualpa and conquered Peru. Three years later, he founded the new capital city of Lima. Over time, tensions increasingly built up between the conquistadors who had originally conquered Peru and those who arrived later to stake some claim in the new Spanish province. This conflict eventually led to Pizarro’s assassination in 1541.

More about Francisco Pizarro

Watch Next .css-wtjrhc:after{background-color:neutral-800;margin-left:1.8rem;margin-top:1.25rem;width:1.5rem;height:0.063rem;content:'';display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;}

European Explorers

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo

Leif Eriksson

Vasco da Gama

Bartolomeu Dias

Giovanni da Verrazzano

Jacques Marquette

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle

Should N.J. celebrate Columbus? Here are the places we've memorialized him

• Published: Oct. 08, 2017, 11:00 a.m.
• Marisa Iati | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

By Marisa Iati | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A Christopher Columbus statue is shown at Manhattan's Columbus Circle on Aug. 27, 2017, in New York. (AP photo)

There are at least 42 monuments to him in New Jersey, but Christopher Columbus remains one of the nation's most controversial figures .

Was Columbus a hero who opened the Americas to European exploration and innovation, or a villain who lead to the enslavement of natives and the death of thousands due to disease?

So how did the holiday get started?

The federal holiday, celebrated on the second Monday in October, was established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937. It was preceded by increasing admiration for Columbus beginning with the Revolutionary War, when Americans wanted to ignore the fact that Venetian explorer John Cabot was actually the first European explorer to reach North America. Cabot claimed the land for England.

Columbus, who never set foot in North America, became a symbol of pride for Italian Americans who were often discriminated against when they immigrated to the United States in the 19th century.

Should we still celebrate Columbus?

Christopher Columbus has come under increasingly strong criticism in recent years, especially in the wake of a national movement to remove monuments to Confederate leaders who supported slavery.

Meanwhile, many monuments to Columbus have recently been defaced, including one in Yonkers, N.Y., that  was beheaded  in August. The Columbus statue in Central Park was found Tuesday with its hands painted red and the hashtag "#somethingscoming"  written on it.

In New Jersey, the leader of an Hispanic organization is calling for a statue of Columbus across from city hall in Long Branch to be removed. Walter Alomar, the president of the Organization for Culture of Hispanic Origins, said the monument would be better suited for a neighborhood that is not dominated by black- and Latino-owned businesses, and suggests moving it.

The statue of Columbus in Long Branch's Slocum Park (Courtesy of Walter Alomar)

An argument for the holiday

Andre' DiMino, an executive board member of the Bloomfield-based Italian American One Voice Coalition, said Columbus is a symbol of patriotism for Italian Americans who view him as a bridge between two worlds.

"He was no angel, but his efforts and his expertise opened up the New World to the settling that occurred," DiMino said.

Below is a list of many of the places where New Jerseyans have memorialized Columbus, primarily based on research by historian Peter van der Krogt .

If there are monuments we missed, or you want to weigh in on the celebration of Columbus Day, tell us in the comments.

10/12 Christopher Columbus Day in America-Columbus statue in Atlantic City, New Jersey pic.twitter.com/jPbprU4ZUH — Phlash Phelps (@Phlash_Phelps) October 13, 2015

Atlantic City

Where it is:  Columbus Plaza (Arkansas and Atlantic avenues)

Who made it:  Gaetano Chiaramonte

When it was made: Unknown

What it looks like: White, marble statue on a pedestal

Where it is:  Mary Griffith Peters Sculpture Garden (697 Avenue C)

Who made it: Domenico Mazzone

When it was made: 1980

What it looks like: Bronze bust on top of a pedestal

Where it is: Unknown

Who made it: Donated by   Walter J. Barret Council 1954 (Knights of Columbus)

When it was made: 1992

What it looks like: A bronze plaque on a granite boulder, surrounded by a circle of stones and flowers

Statue of Christopher Columbus in Farnham (Forest Hill) Park, Camden. It was dedicated on October 12, 1915...five years before Columbus Day became nationally recognized. Posted by Images of NJ / PA and Beyond on  Monday, July 14, 2014

Where it is:  Farnham Park

Who made it: Unknown

When it was made: 1915

What it looks like: Marble statue of Columbus holding a globe with a flag

East Hanover

When it was made: 1996

What it looks like: White, granite bust on top of a pedestal

The sight this morning at the Christopher Columbus statue in the Peterstown Section of Elizabeth, NJ. Happy Christopher... Posted by Afonso & Afonso, LLC., Attorneys at Law on  Monday, October 12, 2015

Where it is: Third Avenue

Who made it: B. Lucker

When it was made: 1971

What it looks like: Statue of Columbus holding part of a ship's wheel, with an anchor and a rope behind him

Where it is: 2 Jake Garzio Dr.

Who made it:  Donated by Ewing Council 3756 Knights of Columbus

When it was made:  1992

What it looks like: A tree and a plaque outside the Ewing Municipal Building

Garfield - Columbus Park

Where it is: Columbus Park

Who made it: Barre Guild

When it was made: 1967

What it looks like: Granite bas relief of Columbus holding a quadrant and a map

Garfield - Dahnert Lake County Park

Who made it:  Gianni Aricò

What it looks like: Three bronze statues — a statue of Columbus in between statues representing Europe and North America

When it was made: 1976

What it looks like: Black bust on a tan, three-layered pedestal

A 7-foot, 300-pound statue of Christopher Columbus is unveiled at the Mercer County Italian American Festival Association headquarters in Hamilton on Oct. 3, 2014. (Bridget Clerkin | For the Times of Trenton)

Where it is: Liberty Street and Newkirk Avenue

Who made it: Acquired by the Mercer County Italian American Festival Association

When it was made: 2014

What it looks like: A statue of Columbus looking to his right and gesturing into the distance

Controversy:  The statue was defaced by graffiti  in April 2016. His face was painted black, the number 13 was scrawled on his chest and the letters "FU" were written on the ground in front of the statue.

Where it is:  Egg Harbor Road, a block east of Route 54

Who made it: Ken Drake

What it looks like: Bronze bust on a pedestal

What it looks like: Boulder with a bronze plaque showing a bust of Columbus and an engraving of his fleet

Hoboken's statue of Columbus sits in the middle of Columbus Park, bordered by Clinton, Grand, 9th and 10th streets. (Courtesy of Google Maps)

Who made it:  Archimedes Giacomantonio

When it was made: 1937

What it looks like: Bronze statue, with a sword hanging from his belt and a cross around his neck, on a granite pedestal

A statue of Columbus in the Journal Square neighborhood of Jersey City (Courtesy of New Jersey City University)

Jersey City - Journal Square

Who made it: Archimedes Giacomantonio

When it was made: 1950

What it looks like: Bronze statue of Columbus pointing with his right arm and holding a cross with his left

Jersey City - Liberty State Park

Who made it:  Gino Giannetti

When it was made: 1998

What it looks like: Bronze, sail-shaped monument with designs etched onto it

Where it is:  Kearny Riverbank Park

Who made it:  Michele Salvemini

When it was made:  1967

What it looks like:  Granite bust on a pedestal with images of Columbus' three ships, the Pinta, Santa Maria and Nina

Lodi - Christopher Columbus Park

Who made it:  Ennio Tesei and Carlo Cavallari

When it was made:  1982

What it looks like:  Bronze statue of Columbus looking into the distance on top of a concrete pedestal shaped like the prow of a boat

Lodi - 1 Memorial Drive

Who made it:  Unknown

When it was made:  1965

What it looks like:  Full-length, stone portrait of Columbus holding a sword and a standard, with a ship's mooring and rope by his right leg

Long Branch

Where it is: Slocum Park (Broadway and Slocum Place)

When it was made:  1961

What it looks like:  Statue of Columbus holding a scroll of paper and a spoke of a ship's steering wheel

Where it is:  Delafield Avenue

Who made it:  August Kurek

When it was made:  1970

What it looks like:  Bas relief bust of Columbus with inscribed images of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria

Where it is: Montville Municipal Building (195 Changebridge Rd.)

When it was made:  1999

What it looks like:  Bust of Columbus on a tall pedestal

Newark - Xavier Park

Who made it:  Giuliano Cecchinelli

When it was made:  1972

What it looks like:  Granite statue of Columbus holding a rolled map and a robe over his shoulder

A statue of Christopher Columbus in downtown Newark. Posted by RoadTripSports.com on  Thursday, March 31, 2011

Newark - Washington Park

Who made it:  Giuseppe Ciochetti

When it was made:  1927

What it looks like:  Bronze statue of Columbus on a base with four bronze plaques showing Columbus' commissioning, embarkation, voyage and landing

North Arlington

Where it is:  Columbus Park

Who made it:  André Iwanczyk

When it was made:  1992

What it looks like:  Granite bust on a pedestal showing Columbus' fleet

Where it is:  Chestnut Street and Kennedy Drive

Who made it:  Unknown for the plaque and André Iwanczyk for the bust

When it was made:  Plaque made in 1992 and bust built in 2000

What it looks like:  Bronze plaque on a granite block and a granite bust on a pedestal

Where it is:  Deal and Monmouth roads

Who made it:  Franco Minervini

What it looks like:  Relief of Columbus' fleet

Where it is:  Saint John's School (455 White St.)

When it was made:  1970s

What it looks like:  Marble statue of Columbus with his hand on a globe

Where it is:  Parsippany Boulevard

What it looks like:  Bust of Columbus on top of a granite pedestal

Where it is:  Passaic Avenue

What it looks like:  Monument with a modern map of the Americas in a circle with an inscription dedicating the statue to Columbus

Paterson - Federici Park

Where it is:  Cianci Street and Curtis Place

Who made it:  Gaetano Federici

When it was made:  1953

What it looks like:  Waist-length statue of Columbus holding a glove and a helmet above a bronze relief plaque of an eagle and an American flag

(Courtesy of Passaic County Community College)

Paterson - Passaic County Community College

Where it is: The college's Hamilton Club Building

What it looks like:  Full-size model of the Columbus monument in Paterson's Federici Park

Pennsauken's statue to Columbus is shown in an advertisement for an Italian-American festival on the waterfront. (Courtesy of Camden County)

Where it is:  Cooper River Park

Who made it:  Frank F. Stella

When it was made:  1988

What it looks like:  Brass statue of Columbus pointing with his right hand and holding a scroll with his left hand

A statue of Columbus outside Saints Philip and James School in Phillipsburg (Courtesy of Google Maps)

Phillipsburg

Where it is:  Saints Philip and James School (South Main and Stockton streets)

Who made it:  Alphons Pelzer

When it was made:  1892

What it looks like:  Statue of Columbus holding an orb with a cross on top

Where it is:  Englehart Terrace (Edgewater Avenue and Shaler Boulevard)

Who made it:  Charles Vukovich

When it was made:  1975

What it looks like:  Bronze-colored bust of Columbus mounted on a concrete, brick and stone base

A monument to Columbus outside the Scotch Plains Municipal Building (Courtesy of Google Maps)

Scotch Plains

Where it is: Scotch Plains Municipal Building (430 Park Ave.)

Who made it:  Lenox Brown and Gheorghi Filin

When it was made:  1998

What it looks like:  Statue of a white, marble hand holding a sphere with three sails, representing Columbus' fleet, crossing it

Where it is:  Paterson Plank Road and Humboldt Street

When it was made:  Unknown

What it looks like:  Bust of Columbus on top of a tall pedestal

Columbus Park statue of Columbus, Trenton New Jersey Posted by Jill Faucher-Ross on  Monday, December 31, 2012

Where it is:  Columbus Park (Hamilton Avenue)

Who made it:  Presented by the Italian-American Civic League

When it was made:  1959

What it looks like:  Bronze statue of Columbus stepping forward and shading his eyes on top of a base resembling a ship's prow

Christoper Columbus Statue, Union City, New Jersey #NewJerseyPride Posted by New Jersey Pride on  Thursday, April 13, 2017

Where it is:  Ellsworth Park (24th Street and New York Avenue)

When it was made:  1979

What it looks like:  Bronze bust on a granite pedestal

West New York

Where it is:  Christopher Columbus Park

Who made it:  Fabian Zaccone

When it was made:  1958

What it looks like:  Stone column with a relief of Columbus kneeling and raising a rolled map in the air on one side and a relief of Columbus' fleet on the other side

West Orange

Where it is:  Valley Road

Who made it:  1992

What it looks like:  Granite stone with an engraved portrait of Columbus and an inscription, as well as a flagpole with an American flag and a flag honoring 500 years since Columbus' voyage

(Courtesy of Jerrye and Roy Klotz via Creative Commons)

Williamstown

Where it is:  Main Street and Blue Bell Road

Who made it:  Demetz Art Studio

What it looks like:  Bronze statue of Columbus holding a scroll and resting a hand on a globe as a coil of rope and an anchor rest behind him

Marisa Iati may be reached at  [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter  @Marisa_Iati  or  on Facebook here . Find  NJ.com on Facebook . 

Have a tip? Tell us.  nj.com/tips

Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/18/2024), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement , and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 12/31/2023).

© 2024 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved ( About Us ). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.

Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.

YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here .

Tour Itinerary

Please select a preferred pickup point to see the tour itinerary.

1 DEPART / NEW JERSEY

Welcome aboard on our adventure to Nova Scotia as we travel through the Northeast to spend the night in Secaucus, New Jersey.

2 PORTLAND / LOBSTER DINNER:

We depart New Jersey this Morning and make our way through Massachusetts heading toward Portland, Maine for the night. Tonight, you will be treated to a New England Lobster dinner.

3 FREEPORT / MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK:

We continue north this morning making our way to Freeport, Maine where we will stop for some shopping at L.L. Bean. This afternoon we will cross the Canadian Border and make our way to Moncton, NB where we will check into our hotel for the night. Dinner will be provided for you tonight.

4 TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY / OVERNIGHT FERRY:

Today we follow the beautiful Trans- Canada Highway into the Canso Causeway where we will enter Cape Breton Island, and board our Overnight ferry to Newfoundland in North Sydney. Cabin accommodations will be provided for you on the ferry tonight. Dinner will be on your own while onboard the ferry.

5 ARGENTIA / ST. JOHNS:

This morning we arrive in Argentia and depart the Ferry. We continue to the intriguing old seaport of St. John’s, North America’s Oldest City and Newfoundland’s Capital boots a stunning location of granite cliffs and slopes of the Avalon Peninsula. Here we enjoy a city tour featuring the Victorian Architecture of the downtown area, the busy modern waterfront, the panoramic view from Signal Hill and nearby Cape Spear, the most Easterly point in North America. We will overnight in St. John’s. Dinner is provided tonight.

6 CLARENVILLE:

Our day starts with a Boat Tour on the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve to search for Puffins. From here we continue on to Clarenville with a stop in Brigus to see the former home of the worldfamous explorer Captain John Bartlett at Harthrone Cottage. We stay in Clarenville tonight. Dinner is provided.

7 BONAVISTA PENINSULA / TERRA NOVA PARK

Today we explore two quaint historic towns. First is Bonavista where John Cabot first arrived in North America in 1497. Here we will learn about the hard life of the lightkeepers at Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site before continuing onto charming Trinity. Here we will explore the many historic buildings preserved from the 18th century. This afternoon, we will look for Moose as we travel through Terra Nova National Park as we make our way to Gander for the night.

8 AVIATION MUSEUM / COW HEAD:

We start our day with a visit to the North Atlantic Aviation Museum and a tour of the town in which we will learn about the 38 planes that were ordered to land here unexpectedly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. We continue to the Gros More National Park area where we will overnight in Cow Head. Another delicious Lobster Dinner is included for you tonight at our hotel.

9 GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK:

Today we discover why Gros Morne National Park, A UNESCO World Heritage Site, is truly one of the highlights of your trip. Here we enjoy a scenic boat tour on Bonne Bay where we will be on the lookout for the Bald eagles that frequent the deep waters of the fjord. We will also see the Tablelands; this mountain of flat-topped rock of a kind usually found only deep in the earth’s mantle is an awe-inspiring sight. Today will be an unforgettable experience; some say the scenery that Gros Morne offers is unequaled in Eastern Canada. Tonight, we board the Marine Atlantic Ferry for another overnight journey making our way back to North Sydney. We include dinner for you tonight on the ferry.

10 MONCTON:

We depart the ferry this morning and travel back through Nova Scotia passing the beautiful towns of Baddeck, Port Hawkesbury, and New Glasgow, heading toward Moncton New Brunswick where we will spend the night. Dinner will be included for you tonight.

11 WORLD’S LARGEST COVERED BRIDGE / BANGOR. ME:

This morning while we are still in Canada, we visit Hartland Covered bridge. This is the longest covered bridge in the World. We return back to the United States of America at Houlton, Main. We travel south through the “Pine Tree State” to Bangor, Main where we will spend the night.

12 MASSACHUSETTS / CONNECTICUT:

We continue our journey home today making our way through Massachusetts and into Connecticut where we spend our last night on the road in Milford, Connecticut.

13 HOMEWARD BOUND

We leave Connecticut this morning to head home with all of our memories of beautiful Newfoundland, Canada!

Lodging & Tour

Please select a preferred pickup point to see pricing for this tour.

$150 Per Person

$150 Per Person (Area 6)

Upcoming Tour Dates

Please select a preferred pickup point to see upcoming tour dates at or near that pickup point.

Pick Up Points

Please select a preferred pickup point.

Find out which area you're in.

Find Other Tours Like This

Click on any of the labels below to find other tours with that special feature.

How To Book

To book this tour, please call us at (800) 552-0022 .

Get More Information

Love this tour.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name  *

Email  *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related products

GANDY DANCER DINNER THEATRE / TYGART FLYER

BILTMORE HOUSE & GARDENS FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS

ANDY GRIFFITH’S “MAYBERRY DAYS” MT. AIRY, NC

Pin it on pinterest, share this tour.

Do you love this tour? We'd love it if you'd share it on social media!