Born in 1454 in Florence, Italy, Amerigo Vespucci grew up in an exciting time - in the year of his birth, Johannes Gutenberg invented a new version of the printing press, and new opportunities opened up for anyone who was able to read.

His uncle was instrumental in his education; he taught him the physical sciences, such as astronomy and geography, as well as mathematics and Latin. It was an education that would spark both his imagination and his investigation into the voyages of Christopher Columbus, or more appropriately referred to as Cristobal Colon. That included the all-important search for the spice trade to the West.

His father wanted him to undertake a mercantile career, though, and it was in that realm that he became an agent for the powerful Medici family in Spain, with the responsibility of buying, selling, and procuring a variety of goods. He managed to accumulate a small fortune during this time; it allowed him to indulge his hobby of collecting maps and books, items that would eventually aid him in his voyages. After Columbus' third expedition, during which he still had not discovered a passage to Asia, Vespucci felt it was time to begin exploring himself.

He made two voyages along the coast of South America for Spain during 1499 and 1500, and then two for Portugal in 1501 through 1502. During the first expedition, he explored a large section of the northern coast of South America, from Cape Sao Roque to the mouth of the Amazon River. He then headed southward to determine the extent of the mainland.

On January 1, 1502, while sailing for Portugal, he reached a harbor; he named it Rio de Janeiro, in honor of New Years Day.

Geographer Martin Waldseemuller translated Vespucci's accounts of his voyages in 1507, and he suggested that the new continent should be named after its discoverer. Though originally the name "America" applied only to the southern continent, by 1516 it had come to encompass both North and South.