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Nov 1, 1406
Ptolomey's Map
This is a map of the known world in the second century. It was made by the geographer Ptolomey and was rediscovered in Western Europe at this time. It then became the most popular map of the world. This map convinced Columbus that he could reach Asia by sailing west from Europe. -
Nov 2, 1418
School of Navigation
Prince Henry starts the first School of Oceanic Navigation. It was located on Cape St. Vincent in Portugal. There they emphasized navigation, map-making, and science. Many brilliant scholars went there to teach and study. -
Nov 3, 1420
Caravels
The first caravels were built at this time. They were small and light sailing ships that usually had two or three masts. They were used by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 15th-17th centuries. This kind of ship was mostly used for long voyages. -
Nov 15, 1487
Bartolomeu Dias
He was a potuguese explorer who sailed around the south tip of Africa:the Cape of Good Hope. He was the first European to do so. Dias wanted to go further than just to the tip but his crew disagreed with him so they returned home. Europeans could now trade directly with Asia without having to go through an expensive middleman in the Middle East. -
Nov 4, 1492
New World
Christopher Columbus discovered West Indies in the New World. He did not know he discovered the New World when he arrived there. He thought he reached Asia but was mistaken. Throughout all three of his voyages to the new World he had no idea it was not Asia! -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
This treaty was between Spain and Portugal. This agreement aimed to settle the conflicts between explored lands. The line of demarcation was between Cape Verde Islands and the islands discovered by Columbus. The lands to the east were to belong to Portugal and west were to belong to Spain. -
Nov 14, 1497
Vasco de Gama
He arrived at India by sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, Africa. He was supported by Portugal. His initial plan was just to sail to the Cape of Good Hope but decided to go further. From then on they were sailing in unkown water. -
Nov 14, 1499
Amerigo Vespucchi
At this time he explored the coast of South America. He traveled 6,000 miles along the coast. He realized that is was not part of Asia, but a new continent. The continent was later named after him. -
Nov 14, 1507
New Map of America
This map was made by Martin Waldseemuller. It was drafted on the modification of the second projection of Ptolemy. It was expanded to encompass the Americas and higher altitudes. This was the first map to use the name "America." -
Nov 14, 1509
Sebastian Cabot
Cabot was an Italian explorer and cartographer. He led an expedition in search for the Northwest Passage. While searching for this he explored the coast of Greenland and even entered Hudson's Bay. Unfortunately he had to turn around after he entered the bey because he crew refused to continue. -
Nov 14, 1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
At this time he crossed the Isthmus of Panama and entered the Pacific Ocean. He was supported by Spain. He was first European to see the eastern shores of the Pacific. A seaport in Panama was later named after him. -
Nov 14, 1514
Smallpox
Smallpox began to kill much of the native population in the Americas at this time. Before the Europeans decovered the New World the Native Americans were pretty much in complete isolation. This changed in the next centuries as the Europeans started to come explore the Americas more often. With them they brought organisms that the natives had never seen before and with them the Europeans also inadvertantly brought smallpox with them. -
Nov 15, 1522
Circumnavigation
At this time Ferdinand Magellan completed the first circumnavigation around the world. To circumnavigate something means to travel around it. This voyage thus proved that the earth was a globe. It was also the first voyage to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific and then successfully cross the Pacific. -
Nov 15, 1539
Hernando de Soto
He was a spanish explorer who explored the Southeast and Mid-West of North America. He led the first European expedition into the modern United States. He was also the first to have crossed the Mississippi River. He died while exploring in the Americas. -
Australia
The first sighting of Australia was at this time by a Dutch captain, Willem Janszoon. They were following the coast of New Guinea and apparently missed Torres Strait. They then arrived in theGulf of Carpentaria. They were immediatly attacked by the Aborigines and ceased any more exploration. -
Conclusion
I picked these 15 events based off of the definition of exploration, which is the action of traveling in or through an unfamilar area in order to learn about it. I simply believe that all of these events are key turning points in the study of exploration. Not only did I choose the defining voyages of exploration, but I also choose the technology and ideas that were the backing for these voyages. There were many more key events that i could have chose, but these were the most crucial ones.
