Fact 2: John Hawkins is often considered to be the pioneer of the British slave trade, because he was the first to run the Triangular trade route across the Atlantic, making a profit at every stop.

Fact 3: When was John Hawkins born? He was born on c.1532

Fact 4: What was his country of origin and where was John Hawkins born? He was born in Plymouth, Devon, England

Fact 5: John Hawkins came from a wealthy merchant and shipbuilding family and was well educated.

Fact 6: John Hawkins was the father of explorer Sir Richard Hawkins and the cousin of Sir Francis Drake

Fact 7: John Hawkins was brought up in the Devon port of Plymouth. He had an excellent education which included cartography, navigation, astronomy, mathematics and seamanship

Fact 8: The business interests of his family made John Hawkins suitable to undertaking voyages of discovery searching for new trade and new trade routes

Fact 9: John Hawkins made his first voyage to the West Indies in 1561

Fact 10: in 1562 John Hawkins hijacked a Portuguese slave ship and trades the slaves in the Caribbean

Fact 11: This event began the beginning England's participation in the slave trade in the New World

Fact 12: The news of John Hawkins profitable venture in the slave trade attracts the interest of other English investors and a syndicate backs his next voyage in 1563 to Hispaniola (Jamaica). Potatoes were first imported to England from the Americas by John Hawkins.

Fact 13: Another successful voyage and Queen Elizabeth I takes a share in the syndicate and loans him one of her ships

Fact 14: In 1568 he fights the Spanish at the Battle of Vera Cruz and then in Mexico. The Battle of San Juan de Ulua in September 1568, where a small fleet captained by Hawkins and his cousin Sir Francis Drake was ambushed and almost annihilated

Fact 15: He becomes a privateer working on behalf of the Queen attacking Spanish treasure ships

Fact 16: John Hawkins returned to England in 1577 and started to build new English war ships due to the on-going threat from the Spanish

Fact 17: 1588 Jul 29, 1588 - The Spanish Armada: A Spanish fleet of of 132 ships fight England's navy which consists of 34 ships and 163 armed merchant vessels. The English are victorious destroying the Spanish Armada on August 8, 1588

Fact 18: He was knighted for his brave service fighting the Spanish Armada

Fact 19: 12 November, 1595: Sir John Hawkins went on another voyage to the Caribbean and died in Puerto Rico