Which explorer became the first European to cross the Mississippi river

On May 8, 1541, south of present-day Memphis, Tennessee, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River, one of the first European explorers to ever do so.

Hernando de Soto he was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States. He is the first European documented as having crossed the Mississippi River.