John Cabot
John Cabot was born in Italy sometime around the year 1450. Not much is known about his early life except for that he was originally known as Giovanni Caboto and that he became a citizen of venice in 1476. John Cabot obtained a letters-patent in 1496 from Henry VII of England for a voyage of discovery. During the summer of 1497, John Cabot crossed the Atlantic and discovered the mainland of Northern America.