1280px uss constitution 1997

Exploration and Contact Timeline

By henrylowe1
  • Sep 15, 1405

    Zheng He takes his first voyage.

    Zheng He takes his first voyage.
    Zheng He, was a Hui court eunuch, mariner, explorer, diplomat, and fleet admiral during China's early Ming Dynasty.
  • Sep 15, 1419

    Prince Henry founds his first navigation school

    Prince Henry founds his first navigation school
    Henrh the Navigator responsible for the early development of Portuguese exploration and maritime trade with other continents through the systematic exploration of Western Africa, the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, and the search for new routes.
  • Sep 15, 1433

    Ming China adopts isolationists policy following Zheng He's seventh voyage

    Ming China adopts isolationists policy following Zheng He's seventh voyage
    In Ming China, 1434, a proclamation was issued that forbade foreign trade. This ban included the stop of all building and repairing of Chinese junks. This occurred shortly after the return of Zheng He’s treasure fleet.
  • Sep 15, 1492

    Christopher Columbus lands in Hispaniola

    Christopher Columbus lands in Hispaniola
    The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he accidentally stumbled upon the Americas.
  • Sep 15, 1494

    Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas

    Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas
    The Treaty of Tordesillas is an agreement between Spain and Portugal aimed at settling conflicts over lands newly discovered or explored by Christopher Columbus and other late 15th-century voyagers.
  • Sep 15, 1498

    Vasco de Gama reaches India

    Vasco de Gama reaches India
    Vasco da Gama was born in about 1460 into a noble family. Da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and navigator, and the first person to sail directly from Europe to India.

  • Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes Shogun of Japan

    Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes Shogun of Japan
    Tokugawa Ieyasu was born Matsudaira Takechiyo in 1542, son of the lord of the province of Mikawa. Ieyasu was a warrior, statesman and founder of the Tokugawa dynasty of shoguns.

  • Manchus establish Qing Dynasty in China

    Manchus establish Qing Dynasty in China
    During the Qing Dynasty, China was ruled by the Manchus, a tribe of foreigners from northeastern China. The reigns of the first three emperors, which lasted for 133 years, were a time of peace and prosperity for China.