| Year | Spanish Explorers | Portuguese Explorers | Italian Explorers | French Explorers |
| 1490 | 1492-Columbus discovers America. | |||
| 1500 | 1500-Cabral explored eastern South America. | 1499-Amerigo Vespucci explored eastern South America. | ||
| 1510 | 1513-Balboa crosses Panama.
1513 Ponce de Leon lands in Florida. |
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| 1520 | 1519-Megellan travels around the world.
1519-Hernando Cortés conquers the Aztecs. |
1524 Verrazano sails to the New World. | ||
| 1530 | 1531-Pizarro conquers Incas. | 1534 Jacques Cartier sails to the New World. | ||
| 1540 | 1539-deSoto explores Florida.
1540-Fransico Coronado explores New Mexico to Kansas. |
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| 1550 | ||||
| 1560 | ||||
| 1570 | ||||
| 1580 | ||||
| 1590 | ||||
| 1600 | ||||
| 1610 | 1610- Santa Fe became capital of New Spain. | Champlain sails & Quebec is founded. | ||
| 1620 | ||||
| 1630 | ||||
| 1640 | ||||
| 1650 | ||||
| 1660 | ||||
| 1670 | 1673-Marquett & Joliet sail the Mississippi. | |||
| 1680 | 1682-LaSalle sails to the mouth of the Mississippi River. | |||
| 1690 |