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Nov 11, 1346
The Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1346 and 1350.Thought to have started in China, it travelled along the Silk Road. From there, carried by fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships, it spread throughout the Mediterranean and Europe.The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30–60 percent of Europe's population. -
Nov 11, 1406
Rediscovery of Ptolomey's Map
A map of the world was drawn in the second century by the geographer Ptolomey. The map shows two large enclosed seas, the first one being the Mediterranean, the second one being the Indian Ocean, which extends into the South China Sea in the East. The major geographical locations are Europe, the Middle-East, India, Sri Lanka, the Malay Peninsula and beyond it China. It was rediscovered in Europe and was the best existing map of the world at the time. -
Nov 11, 1418
School of Navigation
Prince Henry started the first school for oceanic navigation along with an astronomical observatory. The school became a base for explorations on Cape St. Vincent in Portugal. In this school, people were trained in nagivation, map-making, shipbuilding and science. This would allow sailors to better guide their ships and to come up with new ship designs. -
Nov 11, 1420
First Caravels Built
A Caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese and much used for oceanic exploration voyages during the 15th and 16th centuries. When it housed lateen sails it was higly maneuverable and with the square Atlantic-type sails attached, it was very fast. Other than limitied capacity for cargo and crew (20 sailors) it became the best sailing vessel of its time. -
Nov 11, 1453
Muslim Turks Capture Constantinople
The Muslim Turks captured the great Christan city of Constantinople in 1453. This marked the end of the final remnant of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the historical period caledd the Renaissance. Some also mark the end of the Middle Ages by the fall of the city and the Byzantine Empire. After this time, the Genoese put their financial support behind the Portuguese efforts to find a new route to Asia. -
Nov 11, 1492
Columbus Discovers The West Indies
Christopher Columbus was granted three ships for his first voyage under Spanish rule. He was trying to find an alternate route to the Spice Islands in India but ended up in the New World. He discovers the West Indies and calls the people of the Native land Indians. Columbus also learns that compasses change direction slightly as the longitude changes. -
Nov 11, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Treaty of Tordesillas was intended to resolve the dispute that had been created following the return of Christopher Columbus. It divided the newly discovered lands outside of Europe between Spain and Portugal.This division was about halfway between the Cape Verde Islands and the islands discovered by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage.The lands to the east would belong to Portugal and the lands to the west to Spain -
Nov 11, 1498
Columbus Discovers the American Continent
Columbus departed from Spain on his third voyage to the New World with six ships. He explored the Gulf of Paria which separates Trinidad from Venezuela. He explored the mainland of South America, including the Orinoco River. He also sailed to the islands of Chacachacare and Margarita. Because he was sailing using the Ptolomey map he believed that it was part of Asia. -
Nov 11, 1499
South America is a new continent
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, cartographer, and navigator for Portugal. On one of his voyages he was sent to explore along the coast of South America. While on this exploration he decided that South America was not part of Asia as Christopher Columbus had thought, instead it was a whole new continent. The Americas are generally believed that have derived their name from him. -
Nov 11, 1507
New Map of the World
A New map of the world was printed by a German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller. It is known as the first map to use the name "America". The Name "America" was used in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. The map is drafted on a modification of Ptolemy's second projection, expanded to accommodate the Americas and the high latitudes. -
Nov 11, 1513
Balboa discovers the Pacific
Vasco Núñez de Balboa was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. Motivated by Christopher Columbus, he set out on his own voyage. On his journey to the Americas he crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean. He had become the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World. -
Nov 11, 1514
Smallpox is Brought to the Americas
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. It was brought overseas to the Americas by the Europeans beginning in the late 15th centuries. The European people had already been indroduce to many infectious disease and had grown an immunity to them. However, the Natives had no natural immunity to European infectious diseases such as influenza, measles and smallpox. -
Nov 11, 1522
Magellan's Voyage Around the World Ends
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who sailed under King Charles I of Spain. In 1519 he began his expedition sailing under Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands." In 1522 the last remaining of Magellan's five ships, with its crew of seventeen men, returned to Spain. His return became the first expedition to sail from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific Ocean (then named "peaceful sea" by Magellan). -
Period: Nov 11, 1577 to Nov 7, 1580
First Englishman to Circumnaviagte the Globe
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Sir Francis Drake was an English sea captain, privateer, and navigator of the Elizabethan era. In 1577 Queen Elizabeth I of England sent Drake to start an expedition against the Spanish along the Pacific coast of the Americas. He sailed through storms and fought in battles during his three year voayge. Once he finally returned in 1580, he became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. -
Dutch Explorers discover Australia
The most recognized exploration of Australia in the 17th century was by the Dutch. The Dutch East India Company traded extensively with the islands which now form parts of Indonesia, and hence were very close to Australia already. In 1606 Willem Janszoon encountered and then went on to chart the shores of Australia's Cape York Peninsula. Then the ship made landfall at the Pennefather River in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This was the first authenticated landing of a European on Australian soil. -
Why these dates?
These are the top 15 items that help define and explain navigation. Each event not only shows the success of an explorer but also a country. Although not all successes were the discovery of land masses or bodies of water, each success improved their way of travel. Navigation is just that, your way of travel to and from somewhere. Therefore, these examples show the improvements and discoveries in time that helped mold navigation into how we see it today.
