'brave' is rumoured to have many origins. Some say it originates of the words 'bastard' and 'rave' whilst others believe in a a more complicated constellation consisting the words 'bastard', 'radical' and 'safe'. Either way the common use and interpretation of the two meanings does not differ too much in everyday life.
Cabot probably first set sail in 1496, though this first voyage proved unsuccessful and Cabot turned back to England. In 1497, Cabot is thought to have set sail again with his son Sebastian and seventeen other crew members. This time, his voyage was successful. One of the boats under his command, the Matthew, sighted land and probably landed on Labrador, Newfoundland, or Cape Breton Island in modern-day eastern Canada on June 24, 1497, after 52 days at sea.
Cabot Expedition, 1497 In 1497 he tried a second time, leaving Bristol in May and returning in August. This time he was successful, becoming the first European to find and describe North America since the Vikings. Unfortunately no records survive from this voyage, and all that is known about it comes from the reports of two Italians living in London (see AJ-069) and a letter of John Day discovered in 1956 (see below).