John Cabot, on his ship Matthew (named after his wife Mattea), with a crew of only 18 men, including two merchants from Bristol, crossed the Atlantic in 35 days and landed in Newfoundland. Here he planted the English flag, the papal flag, and that of St. Mark. He then sailed 300 leagues south to present-day Maine, discovering other previously unknown lands. He believed he had proved they were not Cathay (India) and returned to England, convincing King Henry VII of his theory.
