GASPAR CORTE REAL

Gaspar Corte Real was born in 1450. Although his exact year of death is uncertain, historians believe it was sometime around 1510. Corte Real was a Portuguese explorer famous for being sent to search for the Northwest Passage on command of King Manuel I. Interestingly, history tells us that Corte Real did discover something but it was Greenland around 1500.

However, it is also believed that Corte Real may have touched on the North American coastline. Then in 1501, he made a second voyage, this time with his brother, Miguel. Together, they traveled about but soon, Gaspar sent Miguel home so he could finish the exploration alone. For this, he sailed to the southwest, going along coastline of what today is the United States

The truth be known, Corte Real was very lost. The funny thing is that when Gaspar did not return home, his brother Miguel headed out to search for him in 1502 but he too became lost. Although the brothers made Newfoundland together and made a number of fascinating discoveries during their travels, they never reached the Northwest Passage.