The perfect introduction to the incredible world of the great European Age of Exploration, written by a famous American expert in preparing educational works for younger readers. This book details the lives and momentous events of many of the most famous European explorers as they opened up the world from 1500 AD onward. Read of Marco Polo's adventures in China, Columbus's history-changing trans-Atlantic voyage, Vasco da Gama's rounding of the southern tip of Africa, the explorations of the Cabot brothers in North America, Amerigo Vespucci's exploration of the American coast (and of how America was named after him), Balboa's discovery of the Pacific Ocean, Ferdinand Magellan's expedition to circumnavigate the globe, the astonishing adventures of the Conquistadors Cortes and Pizarro in South America, the quest for the fabled El Darado, Francis Drake's voyages and the tragic end of Henry Hudson, after whom Hudson Bay is named.