710924 composite_full resolution.jpg
![](https://utw10498.utweb.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/images/stories/710924%20composite_full%20resolution.jpg)
Italian navigator Giovanni Verrazzano sailed to the New World in 1524, looking for a route to Asia. As the first European to set sights on New York Harbor and Block Island, he helped map the eastern coastline of North America. Map credit: Matthew Trump, CC BY-SA 3.0, Inset credit: F. Allegrini