Genoese‐born John Cabot (d. 1498) became a naturalised Venetian citizen before moving to England in 1493. Details of his early life are obscure and a matter of some debate. An acquaintance with Christopher Columbus may have prompted his attempts to seek a polar passage to the Orient.
His attempt aboard the Matthew in 1497 took him to Labrador, Newfoundland and Cape Breton, which he believed to be near Cipangu (Japan). After he disappeared on a second voyage the following year, his son Sebastian attempted the Northwest Passage in 1508.