Lopes Gonçalves
In 1473 or 1474, Portuguese navigator Lopes Gonçalves (a.k.a. Lopo Gonçalves) was the first European sailor to cross the equator, though João de Santarém may have preceded him when he discovered the islands of São Tomé, Annobón and Príncipe, which lie just north of 'the line', at the start of 1472.
During Fernão Gomes' five-year lease on the rights to explore the African coast, Gonçalves and Rui de Sequeira tracked east along the coast to the point beyond Malimba, where it began to trend south. They followed it to Cape López (modern-day Port-Gentil), crossed 'the line' and reached Cape St Catherine (2°S) without drama or serious mishap: "No boiling waters, no harm. A medieval bugaboo had been banished from modern thinking". (John Noble Wilford, The Mapmakers, p. 69)..
Links to add:
São Tomé
Annobón
Príncipe
