 Site Map   Cape Canaveral: Launchpad to the Stars  Spanish
Discovery and Origin of Name  European explorer Ponce de León
first discovered Cape Canaveral in 1513. He initially called the
area Corrientes, a Spanish word that described the strong
currents he experienced off its coast.  At that time, the Ais
Indians inhabited the area. De León and another European,
Francisco Gordillo, had a confrontation with them. The Ais had
developed a method of making cane arrows with razor sharp ends.
The cane arrows killed many Europeans. As a result of that
battle, the name Canaveral, meaning cane bearer, began appearing
on maps of the area.  Missile Testing Station  The United States
Air Force acquired the land at Cape Canaveral in the 1940s. In
late 1950, it opened a missile testing station there. The
location was perfect for testing missiles:  Beginning of the
Space Program  On July 24, 1950, a small rocket was launched
from Cape Canaveral marking the true beginning of the space
program. Rockets were launched throughou