My second explorer who I thought had an influence on America with his exploration is John Cabot. John Cabot, in Italian Giovanni Caboto, was born in Genoa, Although a citizen of Venice, he obtained letters-patent from Henry VII of England in 1496 for a voyage of discovery. He crossed the Atlantic in 1497 and touched on the mainland of North America which is thought to be the Labrador coast. In May 1497, Cabot sailed west from Bristol in a small ship, the Matthew, with a crew of 18 men. He sighted land on June 24, 1497. Cabot had probably reached either the island of Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island, which is now part of Nova Scotia. He claimed the land for England. Cabot believed he had reached Asia. Although the did not find the riches he had hoped for, he did find the important fishing area now called the Grand Banks. Cabot returned to England in August 1497, and announced that he had reached Asia. He was called the Great Admiral. In 1498, the king and several merchants paid for a second voyage. Cabot sailed from Bristol with five ships, intending to explore southward from the place where he had landed. Storms forced one ship back to England. No one knows what happened to Cabot and the other four vessels. Most historians believe he was lost at sea. Cabot is only reported to have landed once during the expedition and did not advance "beyond the shooting distance of a crossbow" Letters written of the voyage indicate that no contact was made with any native people, but they found the remains of a fire, a human trail, nets and a wooden tool. On his first voyage Cabot sailed in a small ship called the Matthew. On his second voyage Cabot assembled a small fleet of 5 ships and 300 men. John cabots exploration was significant because just like Columbus he accomplished something he didn’t get credit for now until now. He was able to go out