It's back to the past, with the Once Upon a Time series. How did America get its name? Take a trip back to Renaissance Italy in this first episode of The Explorers to find out.

He may not know it yet, but Amerigo Vespucci's life is about to change. Though he works as a successful banker, Amerigo feels restless and aspires to greater things. Luckily, Lorenzo de' Medici has offered him the opportunity of a lifetime: a trip to Spain to help Christopher Columbus prepare for an expedition to the Indies.

Amerigo Vespucci sails for the New World to explore new territories discovered by Columbus, draw accurate maps, and find the true route to the Indies. As his ship approaches "Little Venice," or Venezuela, the crew comes into contact with some local natives.

The explorers are exploring a new territory, full of lush vegetation, exotic wildlife, and, to the joy of a few explorers, gold! Perhaps they could use a lesson on the dangers of greed...

Amerigo Vespucci sets foot for the first time on the American continent. He collects all manner of plants and animals, only to drop them into the Amazon River.

Amerigo and his crew continue exploring the New World. Their water is almost gone. Fortunately, the river they're sailing on turns out to be the Amazon, so they won't die of thirst after all.

Vespuccia or America? In the last episode of this fun cartoon, we find out how the name of the new continent now known as "America" came about.