It is unknown whether Ponce de Leon was inspired by stories of a fountain of youth. Historical records are silent on that subject. The more likely impetus behind his sailing to Florida was a charter from the Spanish crown to find new lands west of Hispanola. The financing for the trip would come from de Leon, it was agreed, but the islands would be his to do with as he pleased — with the Spanish government taking a cut of the proceeds, of course.

On this day, April 2, in 1513, Ponce de Leon, on a voyage to discover the islands of Benimy, spots land. He dubs it “La Florida,” meaning flowery or “the flower.”

A later de Leon expedition would be launched to see if Florida was connected to the land Cortez discovered to the west (Mexico); however, another possible reason for this expedition was to investigate the rumors spread by Indians and Europeans of waters of rejuvenation. In any case, the story of the Fountain of Youth did not become associated with de Leon until three decades later, when Hernando de Escaiante de Fontaneda, a Spanish sailor who was shipwrecked and spent 17 years living with the Indians, mentioned it in his account of Florida.