USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -1497 an Italian named John Cabot was sent by the King of England to find the Northwest Passage. His tiny ship landed on an island off of the coast of Canada and he believed that he had reached Asia. Although he was wrong, and found no riches, he did discover the Grand Banks (a valuable fishing area).

Detailed explanation-2: -Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage in 1906.

Detailed explanation-3: -Independently of Christopher Columbus, John Cabot envisioned the possibility of reaching Asia by sailing westward. England, hoping to profit from any trade Cabot might establish with the New World, gave support to his efforts to sail to unknown lands and return with goods.

Detailed explanation-4: -For centuries the Northwest Passage seemed little more than a mirage. John Cabot urged his ships into the unknown in 1497 and 1498 to find it, but failed. Martin Frobisher, Henry Hudson, and James Cook searched icy northern waters for it, in vain.

Detailed explanation-5: -Explorers searching for the Passage were hoping to establish a lucrative trading route between Europe and Asia. The aim was to shorten the time and cost of sailing to and from markets such as India and China.