Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer and navigator (b. 1499)
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo; March 13, 1499 – January 3, 1543) was a maritime explorer best known for investigations of the West Coast of North America, undertaken on behalf of the Spanish Empire. He was the first European to explore present-day California, navigating along the coast of California in 1542–1543.