Amerigo Vespucci was born March 9, 1451, in Florence, Italy.  Vespucci was born into a wealthy family of merchants.  He got his education from his uncle, Gigori Antono Vespucci, and also studied under Michaelangelo.  Vespucci first set sail on May 10, 1497, although there is no evidence to this voyage, such as maps or journals.  After 27 to 37 days, he reached either Brazil or Guyana.  In this voyage he might have sailed through the Gulf of Mexico and possibly sailed along some of the present-day U.S. coast.  In 1507, Martin Waldseemüller, a cartographer, or map-maker, when making a map of the world used the word “America” which he got while translating the story of the four voyages of Amerigo Vesupucci.  Vespucci went on his second (or first) voyage in 1499, but this one (in 1499) had a lot of evidence showing the voyage actually happened, as there was no physical record of the first voyage.  This voyage was the first in recorded history of anyone purposely visiting the New World.  He got back to Spain in 1500 and told everyone about his voyage.