1534. Cartier’s first voyage to the St. Lawrence.
1535–36. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca crosses the continent from near the mouth of the Mississippi to Sinaloa in Mexico.
1541. The expedition of De Soto reaches the Mississippi River. Coronado, coming from Mexico, reaches the interior, probably northeastern Kansas.
1562. The Huguenots attempt a settlement on the coast of South Carolina.
1564. Huguenot settlement on the St. John’s River in Florida.
1565. Founding of St. Augustine by the Spanish.
1583. Sir Humphrey Gilbert takes possession of Newfoundland in the name of Queen Elizabeth.
1584. Raleigh’s expedition to North Carolina. The region is named Virginia in honor of Queen Elizabeth.
1585. Unsuccessful settlement by the English on Roanoke Island.
1602. Bartholomew Gosnold attempts a settlement on the coast of Massachusetts.