Who is henry hudson

Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas. Though he did not really He famously married a series of six wives in his search for political alliance, marital bliss and a healthy male heir. His desire to John Cabot or Giovanni Caboto, as he was known in Italian was an Italian explorer and navigator who may have developed the idea of sailing westward to reach the riches of Asia while working for a Venetian merchant.

Though the exact details of his life and expeditions are the Lawrence River would later enable France to Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Recommended for you. Henry Hudson. William Henry Harrison.

English whalers subsequently called it Trinity Island, while Dutch whalers gave the landfall its enduring name, Jan Mayen island. Hudson was probably trying to gather additional information on the feasibility of the Northwest Passage , which would lead to Asia through what is now the Canadian Arctic, as his course was taking him towards southern Greenland. In , Hudson sailed again in the Hopewell , again in association with Sir Thomas Smythe, but now with the aim of finding the Northeast Passage, a route to East Asia over the top of Russia.

Hudson and his crew of 14 were unable to progress beyond Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. He was provided a small, nimble vessel called the Halve Maen Half Moon.

He was no more successful in overcoming Novaya Zemlya than he had been with the Hopewell in Despite explicit instructions from the VOC to return home should he not find the Northeast Passage, Hudson made an extraordinary detour — all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, to the east coast of North America. He may have made off with the Half Moon in hope of making a major discovery that could land another voyage commission.

After crossing the Grand Banks , Newfoundland , Hudson had a dangerously close encounter with Sable Island before stopping at present-day LaHave , Nova Scotia , to replace a broken mast. None were ever seen again. Hudson continued south to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and then briefly into Chesapeake Bay an inlet between Maryland and Virginia , before turning north. Upon entering Upper New York Bay he followed north the river that now bears his name.

He probed km of navigable water, all the way to present-day Albany, New York, before turning back. Instead of returning to Amsterdam, Hudson sailed back across the Atlantic to the English port of Dartmouth.

There he secured new backing for an English attempt at finding the Northwest Passage, and in July the Half Moon returned to Amsterdam without him. With halting support from his crew, Hudson changed course and sailed west across the Atlantic.

Investigating the southern regions first, the Half Moon crew probed Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay, but concluded they did not lead to the Pacific. The Discovery sailed to the far north and passed through what would become the Hudson Strait between Labrador and Baffin Island. When the party first entered Hudson Bay, it appeared that they had found the Pacific Ocean.

Weeks were spent to explore the area, but it became apparent that the long-sought passage had not been found. Plunging temperatures soon formed ice, which locked the ship in place for the winter. After skirting the southern tip of Greenland, they entered what became known as the Hudson Strait.

The exploration then reached another of his namesakes, the Hudson Bay. Traveling south, Hudson ventured into James Bay and discovered that he'd come to a dead end. By this time, Hudson was at odds with many in his crew. They found themselves trapped in the ice and low on supplies.

When they were forced to spend the winter there, tensions only grew worse. By June , conditions had improved enough for the ship to set sail once again.

Hudson, however, didn't make the trip back home. Shortly after their departure, several members of the crew, including Juet, took over the ship and decided to cast out Hudson, his son and a few other crew members.

Mutineers put Hudson and the others in a small boat and set them adrift. It is believed that Hudson and the others died of exposure sometime later, in or near the Hudson Bay. Some of the mutineers were later put on trial, but they were acquitted. More European explorers and settlers followed Hudson's lead, making their way to North America. They also developed trade posts along the nearby coasts. While he never found his way to Asia, Hudson is still widely remembered as a determined early explorer.

His efforts helped drive European interest in North America. Today his name can be found all around us on waterways, schools, bridges and even towns. We strive for accuracy and fairness.