Age of exploration

Norse of VIkings

Feb 8, 1200

European colonization of the Americas began as early as the 10th century, when Norse sailors explored and settled limited areas on the shores of present-day Greenland and Canada.

Norse Vikings

Feb 8, 1200

According to Norse folklore, violent conflicts with the indigenous population ultimately made the Norse abandon those settlements.
One of the most famous Norse explorers, Leif Eriksson, discovered Greenland around 1200 CE.

European Exploration/Expansion

Feb 8, 1492

Collapse of Byzantine Empire cut off Europe from overland trade with East Asia
Technological innovation such as the compass from China and the triangular lateen sail from Arabia made oceanic navigation more efficient.
Extensive European colonization began in 1492.

Columbian Exchange

Feb 8, 1492

Columbian Exchange, a dramatically widespread exchange of animals, plants, culture, human populations, communicable disease, and ideas between the American and Afro-Eurasian hemispheres following Columbus's voyages to the Americas.

Age of Discovery

Feb 8, 1513

Sponsoring Columbus’s travels allowed Spain to be the first European power to settle and colonize the largest areas, from North America and the Caribbean to the southern tip of South America.

Later Explorers

Feb 8, 1519

Ferdinand Magellan – 1519 proved the world was round by circumnavigating the globe.

Spanish Empire

Feb 8, 1600

the Spanish Crown had gained control of much of western South America, Central America and southern North America, in addition to its earlier Caribbean territories.