Jacques Cartier was a French explorer most famous for exploring the St. Lawrence and giving the country Canada its name.
He was born December 31st, 1491 in Saint-Malo, Brittany, in France.
Jacques Cartier is believed to have made several trips to the Americas before King Francis I of France sent him on his first voyage to North America in 1534.
His goal was to search for riches and a passage to Asia, but he landed on the west coast of Newfoundland.