Henry Hudson arrives in New York

In 1607 and 1608 Henry Hudson made two expeditions funded by England in search of the Northwest Passage, but was forced to return both times because he encountered ice north of the Arctic Circle. 

On the 3rd trip, aboard the "Halve Maen", this time funded by the Dutch East India Company, in 1609, he again encountered ice, but instead of returning home, as his orders told him to do, he instead decided to sail inland on a great river, originally found by Giovanni da Verrazzano, in search of a rumored river across North America. After 150 miles of travel inland, he stopped near present day Albany and turned around.