Which English explorer discovered the Hudson River in 1609?

Henry Hudson discovered the Hudson River for European exploration in 1609. Sailing for the Dutch East India Company aboard the Halve Maen, Hudson entered the river while searching for a passage to Asia and traveled upstream as far as present-day Albany.

Hudson did not discover an unknown river in the literal sense: Indigenous communities had long lived along and navigated it. His voyage was significant because it gave the Dutch detailed information about the waterway and strengthened their interest in the region. Dutch settlement followed, including New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island.

The river was later named the Hudson River in his honor. A frequent mix-up is Samuel de Champlain, who explored parts of northeastern North America for France, and John Cabot, whose voyages occurred more than a century earlier. Hudson himself never found the Northwest Passage and disappeared during a later expedition after his crew mutinied.