Hudson, Henry

Hudson, Henry (about 1550-1611), explorer, b. probably London.

Henry Hudson was a sea captain interested in finding a new route to the Far East.

In 1607 he tried to sail over the North Pole. He went further north than anyone up to that time. Then he was driven back by pack ice.

In 1608 he tried to find a North-East Passage to the north of Russia. Again he was driven back by the ice.

In 1609, he sailed to North America and explored a river, hoping it would take him across the continent. This river is now named the Hudson.

He discovered Manhattan Island at the mouth of the river and here the Dutch founded the city of Nieuw Amsterdam which became New York.

In 1610 Hudson sailed from London in the Discovery to look for the North-West Passage. He sailed through Hudson Strait and discovered Hudson Bay to the north of Canada. Then his crew mutinied. They put Hudson, his small son John, and seven sailors adrift in an open boat and they were never heard of again.

See Douglas Hunter Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World