The World Explorer Amerigo Vespucci Was From Florence

The word "America" is originated from Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian merchant, explorer, and navigator from the Republic of Florence.

Vespucci took part in at least two expeditions during the Age of Discovery between 1497 and 1504, first for Portugal (1501–1502) and subsequently for Spain (1499–1500). Two pamphlets bearing his name and offering vivid accounts of his excursions and other purported journeys were printed in 1503 and 1505. Both books were extremely well-read and well-known over most of Europe. Although scholars continue to debate the authenticity and authorship of these stories, at the time they played a significant role in popularizing the new findings and promoting Vespucci's standing as an explorer and navigator.

During his Portuguese journey in 1501, Vespucci claimed to have recognized that Brazil was a part of the "New World," a continent that was unknown to Europeans. The assertion prompted cartographer Martin Waldseemüller to honor Vespucci's achievements in 1507 by using the Latinized term "America" on a map of the New World for the first time. By 1532, the newly found continents had the name America permanently attached thanks to the actions of other cartographers.

By royal edict, he became a citizen of Castile in 1505, and in 1508, he was appointed piloto mayor (master navigator) for Spain's Casa de Contratación (House of Trade) in Seville, a position he held until his death in 1512.