Hurricanes played an important role during the European exploration and colonization of the Americas. New settlements were established, battles were lost and geography was changed by these monster storms.

1495 -- Columbus encounters a hurricane near Hispaniola

The earliest hurricane report comes from Christopher Columbus, who encountered a tropical storm on one of his voyages to the New World. He later declared that "nothing but the service of God and the extension of the monarchy'' would induce him to expose himself to such danger

1559 -- Hurricane wrecks Spanish expedition

A Spanish fleet of 74 ships sent to recapture Florida sailed into a hurricane. Most of the fleet was sunk, but one ship survived and founded a colony near Pensacola, Fla.

1565 -- Storm destroys French fleet

The French lose their bid to control the Atlantic coast of North America when a storm smashes their fleet, allowing the Spanish to capture Fort Carolina, near present-day Jacksonville, Fla.

1609 -- Bermuda settled after ship seeks refuge from a storm

The Sea Venture was bound for Virginia to relieve the starving Jamestown colonists when a hurricane crippled the ship on July 28, 1609. Many of the 150 men, women and children aboard found safety on the Bermuda Islands.



1635 -- Great Colonial Hurricane hits New England in August

The eye passed between Boston and Plymouth, Mass., and caused a twenty-foot tide in Boston. Gov. William Bradford reported, "It blew down many hundred, thousands of trees," and many houses.

1743 -- Ben Franklin studies the movement of hurricanes

Benjamin Franklin had planned to study a lunar eclipse one evening in September 1743, but the remnants of a hurricane ruined his evening. His curiosity aroused, Franklin gathered additional details and learned that the storm had moved up the Atlantic seaboard and against the surface winds. Thus science took the first step toward a basic understanding of hurricanes.

1749 -- Storm alters Virginia shoreline

A hurricane destroys Fort George, site of present Fort Monroe, Va., and creates Willoughby Spit in Norfolk. According to one record, "A sand spit of 800 acres was washed up."

1752 -- Hurricane devastates Charleston, S.C.

The 17-foot storm surge destroyed the town's fortifications and over 500 homes.

1776 -- Storm kills more than 6,000 on Martinique

1780 -- Deadliest storm on record hits Caribbean

The Great Hurricane of 1780 claimed an estimated 22,000 lives in the Caribbean and destroyed the British and French fleets. This remains the deadliest hurricane in recorded history.