A World Explorer: AMerigo Vespucci by Faith Yingling Knoop Grade : 2-4 Summary : It was exciting growing up in Florence in the 1400s. This colorful Italian city was a center of learning with artists and merchants and mapmakers, and young Amerigo Vespucci wanted to know everything! Amerigo enjoyed it all but was also a serious student. He joined in the carnivals and parades but also studied astronomy and geography. He was thrilled by the exciting discoveries of Columbus and would later make three voyages of his own to the "Indies." He is credited with discovering that the "Indies" were not part of Asia, at all, but a whole new world, yet to be explored. Amerigo mapped 6000 miles of the South American coastline for Portugal and Spain. He discovered new ocean currents, new stars, and how to tell longitude by the stars. He was not only a great explorer but a great scientist.