caption birth_place image article_title name occupation
john -lrb- 1762 -rrb- . a mural painting in the sala cabot dello scudo in the palazzo ducale , venice . in traditional venetian garb by giustino menescardi either castiglione chiavarese , republic of genoa johncabotpainting.jpg john cabot
 john cabot -lrb- giovanni caboto -rrb- maritime explorer
john cabot

john cabot -lrb- , ; c. 1450 -- c. 1500 -rrb- was an italian navigator and explorer whose 1497 discovery of parts of north america under the commission of henry vii of england is commonly held to have been the first european exploration of the mainland of north america since the norse vikings ' visits to vinland in the eleventh century .
to mark the canadian celebration of the 500th anniversary of cabot 's expedition , the canadian and british governments have both accepted a widely held conclusion that the landing site was at cape bonavista , newfoundland .
however , alternative theories have also been proposed .
