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The Black Death was a huge outbreak of plague that was carried by rat fleas. It killed 25 million people living in Europe. which was 1/3 of the population. It is thought to have started in China or central Asia, and travelled along the Silk Road.
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People started to improve their methods in sailing ships. They used the caravel, which was developed by the Portugese in order to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.
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The long-lost map of the world is rediscovered in western Europe, which was drawn in the second century by the geographer Ptolomey. It becomes the best existing map of the world. His map makes Colombus believe that reaching Asia is possible if you sail west from Europe.
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The caravel made travel much easier. It was 65 feet long and had more space to transport food and people. They were much used by the Portugese for the oceanic exploration voyages.
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This auction of black slaves takes place in Portugal. This was not a public affair, but it was very public. 3 years afterward, 800 black slaves were shipped to Portugal each year.
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Colombus discovers the West Indies in the New World. He was hoping to find a route to India to trade spices. He also learns that compasses can change direction slightly when the longitude changes.
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Colombus discovers the American Continent, but believes that it is a part of Asia.
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Vespucchi explores along the coast of South America. He decides that it is not a part of Asia, but a new continent. The Americas were named after him. He also mapped some of the east coast of South America.
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Smallpox is brought over by Europeans. It begins to wipe out the native populations in the Americas.
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The Aztec Empire falls to Spanish forces. The capital of New Spain (Mexico City) is built on the ruins of Tenochitlan.
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Magellan, a Portugese explorer, becomes the first to circumnavigate the globe. He sailed across the Atlantic and was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean.
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Verrazano explores the coast of North America for France. The French had many problems involving the Native Americans.
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Dutch explores discover Australia. The Dutch East India Company was already trading with islands of Indonesia, so Australia was very close by.
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Jamestown in Virginia is established by the English. It was named after King James I of England. Jamestown brought many more people to the New World.
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The city of Santa Fe, New Mexico is founded by the Spanish. The colony of Quebec is established by the French.
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I chose these particular events because they had a great impact on the age of exploration. Some of these events had a negative impact, but most of them had a very positive effect. One example is that the Black Death caused exploration to hold back. Another example is when caravels were built. This helped people to travel more efficiently, and exploring new places was a lot easier. These events varied with all different sorts of situations, and helped me to understand more about exploration.
