Brazil: April 23, 1500 - Pedro Alvares Cabral makes landfall and annexes Brazil (Terra da...

Pedro Alvares Cabral was a Portuguese noble, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the discoverer of Brazil. Cabral conducted the first substantial exploration of the northeast coast of South America and claimed it for Portugal. While details of Cabral's early life are sketchy, it is known that he came from a minor noble family and received a fine education. He was appointed to head an expedition to India in 1500, following Vasco da Gama's newly opened route around Africa. The object of the undertaking was to return with valuable spices and to establish trade relations in India-bypassing the monopoly on the spice trade then in the hands of Arab, Turkish and Italian merchants.