North America was first discovered by the Norsemen in about the year 1000. There is no doubt that the fishermen of Normandy, Britons and Basques were fishing at all Newfoundland- land long before Columbus discovered America (Bahamas) in 1492. A French vessel of Dieppe was caught in 1488 in a storm was blown to N. America. Its name is Crespin of Dieppe, and from that time the fishing began to grow earlier. Abroad Crespin's vessel was Pinzon and he told Columbus what he saw, and Pinzon was with Columbus on his first voyage. There appears to be documentary evidence of the fishing in 1497 and century in 1504. Jacques Cartier in the St. Lawrence in 1534, 1541 and 1543. Sebastian Cabot of England sailed along the Amer. coast at least as far as Batanas in 1497. Americus Vespuccius sailed around Florida in 1498 or 1499. Juan Ponce de Leon came from Porto Rico to Florida in 1512 (or 1513 as generally stated at St. August) saw Florida on March 2 and landed somewhere in northern Florida on Palm Sunday April 2, 1512. On 1521 Ponce atour Tampa where he was shot by the Indians and died soon after.