It was 1524 when Giuseppe da Verrazzano became the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America. That makes it 500 years since his voyage.
He was originally from an area near Florence, Italy.
Among his contributions was his exploration of the North Carolina coast near Cape Fear and the Pamlico Sound. That makes him the first European to discover North Carolina.
He also explored the New York harbor region. For many years, his name had been misspelled in the New York area.
Overall, his contributions were major at a time when crossing the ocean by boat must have been very risky.
Commemorazione !!
These guys were truly courageous, Fred, for their time; and their contributions were enormous. Indeed, they are worthy of commemoration.