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Period: 1400 to
Age Of Exploration
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1440
The caravel is invented in Portugal
With the invention of the caravel, exploration began to become easier, allowing more people to travel. -
1453
Constantinople is overtaken by the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman's overtook Constantinople which led to limited trade with Europeans losing access to ports, including North African and Red Sea trade. -
1488
Bartolomeau Dias uses caravel to make first recorded sail around Cape of Good Hope
With this successful trip, a path was now open to the Indian Ocean, which had not previously existed. -
1492
Christopher Columbus discovers New World
Columbus thought he had discovered a route to China but in reality, discovered the New World which is a huge piece of English and American history. -
1497
John Cabot explores the eastern coast of Canada
Cabot allowed the English to have a strong foot in the door for colonization in the New World. -
1499
Amerigo Vespucci explores the Northern coast of South America
Vespucci's exploration of the Americas led to him coining the term "New World" and is eventually why the America's are named after him. -
1519
Cortes finds the Aztec empire in present day Mexico
Hernan Cortes finds land where Montezuma II is running a lucrative civilization that Cortes eventually overtakes. -
1519
Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigates the globe for the first time (1519-1522)
Magellan famously circumnavigates the globe which allowed the realization that there is a way to get past what was believed to be a "barrier" preventing travel to Asia. -
Jamestown is settled in the New World
England becomes the first country to settle a permanent colony in the New World. -
Age of Discovery ends
With technological advancements allowing trade and exploration more easily, the time period known as the Age of Discovery comes to an end. This is not to say that exploration stopped entirely.