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1497 BCE
Vasco da Gama
Explorer Vasco da Gama was born in Sines, Portugal, around 1460. In 1497, he was commissioned by the Portuguese king to find a maritime route to the East. His success in doing so proved to be one of the more instrumental moments in the history of navigation. -
Mar 4, 1394
Prince Henry sponsors Portuguese exploration
Henry the Navigator was born in Porto, Portugal, in 1394. Although he was neither a sailor nor a navigator, he sponsored a great deal of exploration along the west coast of Africa -
Sep 4, 1421
Zheng He possibly reaches America
In his 2002 book, 1421: The Year China Discovered the World, Gavin Menzies proposes that both shores of the Pacific were extensively traveled and surveyed by the Chinese in late medieval times, principally by the famous admiral Zheng He. -
Nov 8, 1451
Amerigo Vespucci
Explorer Amerigo Vespucci was born March 9, 1451, (some scholars say 1454) in Florence, Italy. On May 10, 1497, he embarked on his first voyage. On his third and most successful voyage, he discovered present-day Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata. -
Aug 3, 1492
Columbus’ First Voyage
Having convinced the King and Queen of Spain to finance his voyage, Christopher Columbus departed mainland Spain on August 3, 1492. -
Oct 7, 1505
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand was born in Portugal and during his mid 20's he joined a Portuguese fleet sailing to east Africa. He has even found himself in a battle and destroyed Egyptian ships. -
Aug 13, 1521
Hernan Cotrez Conquest of the Aztecs
Herman was a Spanish-noble, who was appointed captain general of a new Spanish expedition. When he invaded the Aztec Empire, it took 3 months for his forces to capture the capital of Tenochtitlan. -
Nov 15, 1532
Francisco Pizarro - Conquest of the Inca Empire
Francisco was a Spanish man, who became a solider and serves as a Spanish conquistador. Pizarro planned a war and defeated the Inca empire after the execution of their leader. -
Middle Passage / Atlantic Slave Trade
The Middle Passage was also known as the Atlantic Slave Trade because ships sailed on the Atlantic with slaved in their cargo either "loosely packed" or "tightly packed". These slaves were taken from their homeland to other countries, some didn't even make it to the other countries and died from sea sickness and many other diseases -
Viking exploration - Leif ericsson
Leif Ericsson was the son of Erik the Red, founder of the first European settlement on what is now called Greenland. Around A.D.
