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Aug 14, 1347
Guns in Europe
Around 1347, the first guns appeared in Europe. These guns especially came in handy with exploration. Now that they had these advanced weapons, other civilizations might not even know what they are, let alone possess them. This would give the Europenas and automatic advantage for when they came in contact with new people. -
Apr 23, 1400
Sailing Ship Improvements
Ships started to dramatically improve in the 1400s. As exploration was becoming more common, better ships were being demanded. The lanteen sail was invented, which was a triangular sail. It allowed ships to be pushed from either side and it made them more manuverable. -
Nov 11, 1406
Ptolmey's Map
Ptolmey's map was drawn in roughly the 2nd century. Even though it dated so far back, it was the best map the world had yet to see. Christopher Columbus used this map. It was what gave Columbus the idea that you can reach Asia by sailing West out of Europe. -
Jan 6, 1420
Caravels
Caravels were small, light, quick ships. They had a capacity of roughly 20 soldiers. They had lanteen sails which made them highly manuverable. Caravels spread quickly and became widely used during the Age of Exploration -
May 21, 1453
Constantinople Sacked
In 1453, the Turks captured Constantinople. A lot happened because of this, one of the things being as this became the beginning of the Renaissance. The Renaissance brought back interest in the arts, Greco-Roman culture, and exploration! Due to this defeat, the Genoese people focused their financial effort in backing up the Portugese hopes in finding a new route to Asia. -
Jun 9, 1465
Follow the Stars
As exploration became more common and more intriguing, new ways of navigation had to be found. In the late 1400s, navigation by way of the stars improved. Sailors were able to determine where they were in the ocean, and if they were on target by using the stars. They would use angular measurements between something in the sky (sun, planet, stars) and the horizon they saw to do so. -
Dec 26, 1492
The West Indies! In the New World...
Christopher Columbus set out from Europe, sailing West, to find a new route to Asia. Spain funded him for four voyages. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached what he thought was Asia. Instead, it was the New World. He went back 3 more times to learn the culture of these new people. Columbus never knew that he hadn't reached Asia -
Oct 14, 1499
AMERIGO!
Vespucci was an Italian who was invited aboard Portugese expeditions by the king. He was not in command of the ships he was aboard, because he never had experience pilotting a ship. However, on one of the expeditions he discovered, while rounding the southern tip of South America that it was not apart of Asia. The new continents eventually were named from the Latin root of his first name Amerigo. -
May 14, 1507
Maps
In 1507, a new map emerged. This map included the newly discovered continents, that were previously unknown. This map led to further and more in depth exploration because the had the ability to project where they would be going. The continents were named after Amerigo Vespucci who discovered they were not India, this was also the name given to the latest map. -
Mar 23, 1514
Smallpox, not such a small disease
The Europeans brought many new things with them to the Americas. However, not all of them were good things, like smallpox. The Europeans themselves were immune to smallpox because they had been exposed to it before, and the things that caused it. When the Indians came in contact with the Europeans and their belongings though, they were effected. This disease cause thousands of sores all over your body, and spread very rapidly. It wiped out native american populations. -
Dec 29, 1522
Around the World, and back again
When Magellan set off, he sent five ships, with crews to supply them all. Their goal was to circumnavigate around the world. Sadly, not all of the ships returned and certainly not the entire crew. However, in 1522 one of the ships returned, carrying 17 men, and they were the first to sail around the world. -
Nov 14, 1541
The Mighty Mississippi
Hernando DeSoto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He is said to be the first European to explore deep into the United States and explore the Mississippi River. He was on a mission to explore the southern portion of the United States in hopes of finding gold and riches. He died while exploring on the Mississippi River near Arkansas. -
Period: Aug 14, 1577 to Oct 17, 1580
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake PictureSir Francis Drake was an experienced English navigator, explorer, and privateer. He led a fleet of ships against the Spanish Armada and also sailed for Queen Elizabeth I. He was only the second person to successfully sail around the world, and the first Englishman to do so. -
Australia
Until the 1600s, Australia was unknown. However, in 1606 Dutch explorers aboard the Duyfken sighted and landed on the continent of Australia. This discovery came from a voyage of their extensive trade with the islands around Indonesia, on which they encountered this unknown landmass. -
Galileo
Galileo, the Father of Science, the Father of Modern Observational Astronomy, the Father of Physics made great contributions to science. His main achievement and most famous, is his contributions to the telescope. From his new invention and remake of the telescope, astronomy became more practical. It was then able to be used during exploration as anotherl, more accurate form of navigation. -
My Top 15
I chose these 15 dates and time spans because I felt they made some of the greatest contributions to exploration. Without the weapons appearing in Europe, and new improved ships being made, exploration would have been impossible. The maps and telescopes and navigational tools assisted navigators and helped them to become more accurate. I also included the date about smallpox because exploration was not just about the men on the ships and what they gained, it effected others too.
