Giovanni Da Verzano Research Paper

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Giovanni da Verrazzano: The Most Audacious Explorer of the Seas

Introduction

Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in Tuscany, Italy in 1485 to parents Piero Andrea da Verrazzano and Fiametta Capelli. His siblings were Gerolamo, Bernardo, Nicolo, and Piero (Morley). Gerolamo was the only family member that accompanied Verrazzano on his journey as a mapmaker. Gerolamo also was the one to create some of the first maps depicting the Americas (“Depression-Era Soup Kitchens”). Giovanni da Verrazzano had an excellent education in Florence, Italy, but moved to Dieppe, France, hoping to pursue a maritime exploring career. In January of 1524, King Francis I, the king of France, agreed to sponsor his trip by providing him with ships and necessary tools for the journey (Keshavarz). He is best known for discovering New York Harbor, and a bridge …show more content…

When he left from France in 1524, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached Cape Fear. Then he stopped at a place called Arcadia, which today is most likely Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. It was only on his third embarking from land that he landed in New York Harbor (“Extraordinary Explorers and Adventurers” 69-70). This shows that he tried hard and didn’t give up. He went on multiple voyages, and that shows that he was dedicated to his career of becoming a maritime explorer.
Many people might only know him for his prominent discovery of New York Harbor, but what many people don’t know is that he was also the first person to discover Block Island and Narragansett Bay, both located in Rhode Island (Anirudh). The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, created in 1964 in honor of Verrazzano’s efforts, connects Brooklyn and Staten Island in New York Harbor (“Depression-Era Soup Kitchens”). In addition to this, two other bridges, the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge and Maryland’s Verrazano Bridge, were also named after him (Anirudh).

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