Vasco Nunez de Balboa was born in 1475 in Spain to a poor family and had little formal education. He made four voyages to South America and Central America between 1500 and 1513. On his fourth voyage in 1513, leading a crew of 67, Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean from a peak on September 25th, making a major geographic discovery that brought him fame.