When Giovanni Caboto set sail from Bristol England on May 2, 1497, he was not expecting to bump into the New Founde Land. Unable to scrounge up enough financial support for the trip in his home town of Venice Italy, Cabot came calling on the court of King Henry VII of England.
He fronted the cash for a voyage that was supposed to find a route to the spices and riches of the exotic Far East.
While Cabot sailed with dreams of gold and spices, his path was blocked by the vast undiscovered coast line of North America. And while he didn't report back with tales of wonder from the land of the Great Khan, Cabot did convince the King that he at least discovered something worthwhile.
