Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
Giovanni da Verrazzano discovered New York Harbor in 1524. An Italian, Verrazano was in France’s employ when he found the harbor. He was trying to find the Northwest Passage from Europe to Asia. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is named after him.
Henry Hudson discovered Hudson Bay in 1610. Aboard the Discovery, he felt the bay might really be the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. In November his ship became icebound in the bay, and the men wintered on shore. The next year his crew mutinied, and he, his son, and some crew members were set adrift in a small boat.