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Jul 11, 1405
Zheng He takes first voyage
Zheng He's first voyage departed July 11, 1405, from Suzhou. He had a fleet of 317 that carried 38,000 crewmen. -
Jan 1, 1419
Prince Henry founds first navigation school
In about 1419, Prince Henry started the first school for oceanic navigation along at Sagres, Portugal. In this school, people were trained in nagivation, map-making, and science, in order to sail down the west of Africa. -
Jan 1, 1433
Ming China adopts isolationist policy following Zheng He’s seventh voyage
After Zheng He's final voyage China decided that they had everything they needed in China and could be fine without most trading. They stopped trade with most countries, and only allowed a few ports controlled by the government. -
Jan 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus lands in Hispaniola
Christopher Columbus, a Spaniard wanted to go across the Atlantic to find a new route to Asia, as Portugal and Spain were competing for the Indian Ocean. Instead of finding Asia he accidently finds a Carribean Island, and the Europeans find America. -
Jan 1, 1494
Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas
Pope Alexander IV decided to work things out with Spain and Portugal. He divided them with a line. Portugal could only claim/explore on the right side, with Spain on the left side. It was moved becuase Portugal thought Spain got more territory, They agreed, and signed the Treaty of Tordesillas. -
May 20, 1498
Vasco da Gama reaches India
Da Gama rounded Africa's Cape of Good Hope on November 22, and continued on to India. Da Gama reached Calicut, India on May 20, 1498. -
Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes shogun of Japan
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, and received appointment as shogun in 1603. He was abdicated from office in 1605, but remained in power until his death in 1616. -
Manchus establish Qing Dynasty in China
The Manchus invade the Ming China, and Kangxi. The first Qing Emporer, rules for 60 years. He sticks to Confucian ideas and traditional Chinese values. The Chinese start to trust him. It is China's longest, last, and largest. It lasted for 250 years.