Record #:

7757

Author(s):

London, George E.

Abstract:

Giovanni Da Verrazano arrived in North Carolina sixty-four years before Sir Walter Raleigh, yet many historians fail to mention him at all. He was born into a wealthy family in Italy around 1480. He moved to France to become a privateer and later was credited with capturing $1.5 million from a Spanish ship on its way to Charles V. In 1524 he embarked on a voyage to find a short cut to the Far East. He hit land in the Cape Fear region of what is today Bogue Banks, Carteret County. Verrazano stayed on board while crew members disembarked for water. One crew member gave small gifts to the natives. He was the first European they ever encountered. Verrazano made several other stops along the shores, including the New York Bay, before returning home without finding a passage around North America.

Source:

The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 54 Issue 4, Sept 1986, p14-15, 29, il, por

Subject(s):

America--Discovery and exploration--French; Verrazano, Giovanni da, 1485?-1527