John Cabot was an Italian explorer who claimed the New World for England in 1497. He was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1450, and he became a skilled navigator and cartographer. In 1496, he was commissioned by King Henry VII of England to sail west in search of a new route to Asia. Cabot set out from Bristol, England, on May 2, 1497, with a crew of 18 men. He sailed west for weeks, and on June 24, 1497, he sighted land, which is believed to have been Newfoundland. Cabot explored the coast of North America for several weeks, and he claimed it for England. He returned to England in August 1497, and he was welcomed as a hero. Cabot's voyage had a profound impact on England, and it helped to pave the way for the English colonization of North America.