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1488
Bartolomeu Dias rounds Cape of Good Hope
In 1488, Dias sailed around the tip of Africa to Cape of Good Hope, proving that the Atlantic and Indian oceans flowed into each other. This discovery allowed for De Gama’s voyage to India. -
1492
Christopher Columbus’s first voyage lands in the Caribbean
Christopher Columbus was an Italian voyager who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and landed on the island of Hispaniola, which now modern day Haiti. The Spanish queen and king sponsored Columbus in an attempt to find a passage towards Asia. -
1497
John Cabot arrives in the New World and claims it for New England (Newfoundland)
In 1497 John Cabot sailed from Bristol to a northern cape of Newfoundland with a crew of 18. Cabot was rewarded with about £10 by King Henry VII for discovering a new island. -
1498
Vasco Da Gama reaches India
In May 1498, Vasco de Gama sails around the Cape of Good Hope to Calicut, India. Unable to create a trade deal with Indians he comes back in 1502 with a fleet of ships and pilgrimages a Muslim ship full of four hundred men, women, and child. -
1500
Pedro Álvares Cabral Discovers Brazil
Arriving on 22 April 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral led the first Portuguese expedition, commanding 13 ships to reach present day Brazil. He is often credited for discovering the land of Brazil. -
1521
Hernán Cortés conquers Aztecs
In 1521, Cortes finds New Spain after conquering the Aztec capital. In 1519, Cortes travelled to Central America intending to find gold. He massacred much of the Mesoamerican population as he made his way, conquering Central America. -
1533
Francisco Pizarro Conquers the Inca Empire
In the year 1531, Francisco Pizarro arrived in northern Peru with a small army. Pizarro and his army capture Cusco, the Inca capital and defeat the last Sapa Inca, Atahualpa, at the Battle of Cajamarca. By 1533 Pizarro successfully conquers the Inca Empire. -
1534
Cartier explores Eastern Canada
Jacques Cartier was sent to explore more of the new world away from Spanish claims. He mapped the gulf of St. Lawrence and named the land he found Country of Canada. -
Period: 1577 to 1580
Francis Drake becomes first Englishman to circumnavigate the world
Queen Elizabeth assigned him to lead an expedition against the Spanish. Drake was a privateer, meaning he was given special permission by royals to raid enemy ships. -
Defeat of the Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada was a part of a planned Spanish invasion of England. At the time, the Spanish had the largest fleet in Europe. The defeat of the Spanish Armada by the English and Dutch saved England and the Netherlands from being captured by Spanish rule. -
East India Company is launched in England
The East India Company was an English company formed in 1600 to regulate trade between Southeast Asia and India. It formed because of England wanting to participate in the East Indian spice trade. -
The Dutch found the Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a trading company founded in the Dutch republic or present day Netherlands. The company lasted throughout most of the 17th century but was dissolved in 1799. -
Founding of Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, Virginia, was the first permanent English settlement in North America. They profited off the farming of tobacco and other crops. Many colonists died from famine and illness in the new colony. -
Henry Hudson Discovers the Hudson River
After docking in Newfoundland, Canada, Hudson traveled south along the Atlantic coast and traveled into a river first discovered by Verrazano in 1524. They went on for about 150 miles before heading back, from this point on the river would be known as the Hudson river. -
Pilgrims Land at Plymouth Rock
The Mayflower arrives in Plymouth, December 16, 1620. After being exiled from England due to the refusal of accepting the teachings of the Church of England, they started a new settlement called Plymouth Colony. -
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia is a name for two peace treaties signed by the Germans, the Dutch, and the Spanish. It ended the Thirty Years’ War between the Spanish and the Dutch in the towns of Münster and Osnabrück. -
English Capture Jamaica from Spain
A British expedition led by Admiral Sir William Penn and General Roberts Venables seized Jamaica from the Spanish and began to remove them from the territory. -
Foundation of New Amsterdam (New York City)
The colony and city of New Amsterdam were taken over and renamed New York. Fort Amsterdam was renamed Fort James, along with Fort Orange becoming Fort Albany. -
Seven Years' War Between France and Britain Begins
The Seven Years’ War was a conflict between France and Great Britain that had resulted over disputes in North American land claims. The war is also known the French and Indian war, since many Native American tribes became allies with the French during the war. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris came as a result of the French and Indian war, also known as the Seven Years’s War. This was a peace agreement between French and British forces, it established new borders and territories for both parties. -
Founding of Los Angeles
California Governor Felipe de Neve and 44 settlers established a pueblo near a river they called Rio de Porciuncula, where a Native American village was located. They called their new settlement El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles, or The Village of the Queen of the Angels. -
First Fleet Arrives in Australia
The First Fleet was an English fleet full of military leaders, sailors, and convicts who set sail from Portsmouth, England with a group of 11 ships and about 1,400 people. They established the first European settlement in Botany Bay and Sydney, Australia.