John Cabot
Cabot, John (1451?–1498), an Italian-born navigator. In 1497, while on a voyage of exploration for England, he landed on the coast of North America. This landing was the basis for the English claim to North America.
Cabot was born Giovanni Caboto, probably in Genoa. He is known to have become a naturalized citizen of Venice in 1476. He later lived in Spain before going to England and winning the support of Henry VII for a voyage to seek a short, high-latitude route to the Indies.
In 1497 Cabot sailed from Bristol, England, in the Mathew, accompanied by his three sons. On June 24, 1497, he reached the coast of North America, probably eastern Newfoundland. A second voyage was chartered in 1498, and five ships left Bristol. One ship soon returned; the four remaining ships, one of them with Cabot aboard, were lost.