1559 – The first Spanish settlement in the present United States was established by Don Tristan de Luna Arellano on this date. De Luna’s party consisted of Dominican friars, soldiers, and settlers who built their settlement on the site of today’s Pensacola. On September 9th a large hurricane swept through the area and destroyed many of De Luna’s ships and their cargo, leaving the settlers with very few supplies. The settlement was abandoned after two years. Europeans would not populate the area again until 1698. In the early 1990s, underwater archeologists discovered many of De Luna's ships that sank in the bay and excavations are ongoing.