Vespucci, Amerigo
Vespucci, Amerigo ( 1451 – 1512 )Italian merchant, navigator, and explorer. While in the service of the king of Portugal, Vespucci made several voyages to the New World and claimed, on dubious authority, to have been the first to sight the mainland of South America ( 1497 ). The name America is derived from his first name.
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