John Cabot (Italian: Giovanni Caboto, Venetian: Zuan Chabotto; c. 1450 -- c. 1500) was a Venetian navigator and explorer whose 1497 discovery of the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England was the first European exploration of the mainland of North America since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century. To mark the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Cabot's expedition, both the Canadian and British governments elected Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland, as Cabot's first landing site. However, alternative locations have also been proposed.

Answer this question: who was the first english explorer to reach north america in 1497? Let's give stream of consciousness first:
This is the relevant information: John Cabot (Italian: Giovanni Caboto, Venetian: Zuan Chabotto; c. 1450 -- c. 1500) was a Venetian navigator and explorer whose 1497 discovery of the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England was the first European exploration of the mainland of North America since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century.
So, the final answer is John Cabot.