Giovanni da Verrazzano

Florentine explorer of North America for France (1485–1528)

Giovanni da Verrazzano ( VERR-ə-ZAH-noh, -⁠ət-SAH-, Italian: [dʒoˈvanni da (v)verratˈtsaːno]; often misspelled Verrazano in English; 1491–1528) was an Italian explorer from the Republic of Florence, best known for his expedition to North America. He led most of his later missions, including the one to America, in the service of King Francis I of France. He is renowned as the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between Florida and New Brunswick in 1524, including New York Bay and Narragansett Bay.

From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA. More on occurri.