16th century in North American history 16th century in North American history The historical record in North America begins in the second half of the 16th century, with ongoing European exploration. Giovanni da Verrazzano explored the East Coast of North America from Florida to presumably Newfoundland in 1524. Jacques Cartier made a series of voyages on behalf of the French crown in 1534 and explored the St. Lawrence River. André Thevet's "The new found worlde, or Antarctike" is an English translation of Thevet's "Les singularitez de la France antarctique", first published in 1558. André Thevet was a Franciscan friar who accompanied Villegagnon in 1555 when he
Paris in the 16th century Paris is estimated by modern historians to have been about 250,000 at the beginning of the 16th century, growing to 350,000 by 1550, then dropping down to 300,000 by the end of the century, due to the plague epidemic of 1580, and the long siege of the city during the Wars of Religion. The area of the city covered about 439 hectares within the city walls. Several new neighborhoods, formally rural, were populated over the course of the century, notably the Faubourgs Saint-Honoré, Saint-Martin, and Montmartre. Despite efforts of the government to keep the area outside of the walls clear