Giovanni da Verrazzano was born Florence, Italy. Some historians argue that he was actually born in Lyon, France, but Verrazzano himself always considered himself a Florentine. Perhaps there is indeed validity in his being born in France because his explorations were for the French Crown.
On this day April 17th, in 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano discovers New York Harbor. In 1523 Francis I of France asked Giovanni to explore the new world which Columbus and other discoverers had been encountering. At some point in time Giovanni came into contact with the Lenape.
The Lenape were natives the area of New York Harbor and used it for fishing (nowadays fishing there is banned due to the toxins in the water). Giovanni anchored on April 17th in the narrows, it is a strait between Staten Island and Long Island. Had Giovanni gone further north he would have encountered the Hudson River, which was explored by Henry Hudson in 1609.