John Cabot was an Italian explorer born in 1450 in Genoa, Italy who explored North America. In 1497, under a commission from King Henry VII of England, Cabot sailed from Bristol, England with a crew of 18 men. He landed in North America on June 24, 1497, becoming the first European to explore parts of North America since the Vikings. Cabot planned to travel to Japan in 1498 but died at sea before he could embark on that second voyage.