Ag eof Exploration

Bartholomeu Dias sails to southern tip of Africa

Oct 10, 1487

King John II of Portugal appointed him, on 10 October 1487, to head an expedition to sail around the southern tip of Africa in the hope of finding a trade route to India. Dias was also charged with searching for the lands ruled by Prester John, who was a fabled Christian priest and ruler.

Columbus’s First Voyage

Aug 3, 1492

Christopher Columbus convinced the queen and king of Spain to finace his voyage. He quickly made port to the Canary Islands for a final restocking and left there on september 6. He commanded 3 ships: Pinta, Nina, Santa maria.

Columbus’s Second Voyage

Sep 24, 1493

Columbus was given 17 ships and over 1,000 men. Columbus’ orders were to expand the settlement on Hispaniola, convert the natives to Christianity, establish a trading post and continue his explorations in search of China or Japan.

Pope Alexander VI draws the Line of Demarcation

Jun 7, 1494

he Line of Demarcation between Spanish and Portuguese territory was first defined by Pope Alexander VI and was later revised by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Spain won control of lands discovered west of the line, while Portugal gained rights to new lands to the east.

Vasco Da Gama reaches India

May 20, 1498

Da Gama rounded Africa's Cape of Good Hope on November 22, and continued on to India. After many stops in Africa, and problems with Muslim traders who did not want interference in their profitable trade routes.

Columbus’s Third Voyage

May 30, 1498

Columbus spent most of 1496 and 1497 restoring his reputation with the court and building support for a third voyage.Columbus reached the island of Trinidad on August 1, 1498, and the South American mainland at the Paria Peninsula in Venezuela on August 5, before heading to the colony on Hispaniola.

Cabral reaches Brazil

Apr 22, 1500

Cabral conducted the first substantial exploration of the northeast coast of South America and claimed it for Portugal. While details of Cabral's early life are unclear, it is known that he came from a minor noble family and received a good education. He was appointed to head an expedition to India in 1500,

Columbus’s Fourth Voyage

May 11, 1502

He had four ships and his mission was to explore areas to the west of the Caribbean, hopefully finding a passage west to the Orient. Columbus did explore parts of southern Central America, but his ships, damaged by a hurricane and termites, fell apart while he was exploring.

Cortes lands in Mexico

Nov 8, 1519

In 1518, Cortes was put in charge of an expedition to the mainland of Mexico. This was something that he had wanted to do for many years. At the last minute, Governor Velazquez became worried that Cortes would become too powerful and he ordered Cortes not to sail. Cortes disobeyed the order and set sail anyway.

Henry Hudson sails up the Hudson River

Sep 3, 1609

Explorer Henry Hudson and his crew aboard the Half Moon sailed into the river off the Atlantic coast by chance. Strong head winds and storms forced them to abandon the northeast voyage they had been assigned.