Click on any of the News, Events, or Discoveries buttons above to see historical things that happened during John Adams's life. These are only some of the major events that affected the life and times of John, his family, and friends. For example, John is 29 years old when Sir Walter Raleigh sends several ships to establish the New World's first English colony. They name the surrounding area Virginia. This colony fails and survivors return to England two years later. He makes two more attempts at Roanoke Island, North Carolina and Virginia. Virginia Dare becomes the first child to be born at the second colony. Eventually all colonists die and these colonies fail.