Giovanni da Verrazzano

Giovanni da Verrazzano, born near Florence, embarked on a grand tour of the Atlantic coast of North America in 1524. While he didn't discover a route to China (spoiler alert: it wasn't there), he did manage to survey a good chunk of the eastern seaboard, mapping it for his French patrons. He named a few places, like "Angoulême" (later New York) and "Aracadia" (later North Carolina), showcasing a distinct lack of long-term vision in his nomenclature. But hey, it was the 16th century, brand naming wasn't exactly a science.

His lasting legacy, beyond a bridge in New York and a general sense of being "first," is largely tied to his expedition's journals. They provided valuable early descriptions of the coast and its inhabitants, though one can assume he wasn't exactly checking for kashrut on his voyages.

Verrazzano's later adventures were, shall we say, less successful. He met an untimely end during a subsequent trip to the Caribbean, reportedly at the hands of cannibals. While this makes for a rather dramatic exit, it firmly establishes him as someone who definitely wasn't around for any Passover seders.

So, with zero discernible Jewish identity, ancestry that screams "Renaissance Italy," and a legacy that involves mapping rather than Talmudic scholarship, Verrazzano lands firmly in the "Not a Jew" camp. His exploration efforts brought some nachas to France, but not so much to the tribe.