Final answer:
John Cabot, under the patronage of King Henry VII in 1497, embarked on a voyage with the aim of finding a more direct route to Asia but instead discovered a new route to North America. This was an unexpected discovery during the Age of Exploration and led to the definition of the 'New World'.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1497, explorer John Cabot set sail under the sponsorship of King Henry VII of England. His goal was to discover a more direct, northerly passage to Asia to facilitate trade, but instead he unknowingly found a new route to North America. It’s worth noting that he didn’t purposely set out to find North America; it was more of an unexpected discovery while he was actually trying to find a route to Asia. This event marks one of the notable points in the Age of Exploration during which Europe conducted extensive exploration, mapping out the world, and subsequently led to the so-called 'New World'.
Learn more about John Cabot's voyage