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Aug 14, 1406
Ptolomey's Map
A map of the world drawn in the second century by Ptolomey was rediscovered. Columbus thought that Asia could be reached by sailing West when he looked at Ptolomey's map. This map was different than any other, it even had latitude and longitude lines. Because trade had been taking place, seas had been discovered and named but according to this map, there were only two large seas. -
Mar 3, 1418
School of Navigation
Prince Henry the Navigator organized a School of Navigation for new explorers to study on Cape St. Vincent in Portugal, Henry realized the importance in exploration and wanted many people to be educated about it to discover new things. This was the first school for oceanic navigation. Students at the school learned about map-making, navigation, and science to see if they could sail down the West side of Africa. -
May 25, 1420
Caravels
The first caravels, a small fast ship that had lateen sails and two or three masts were built. Caravels were used by explorers to sail along the West coast of Africa. Most other ships at this time were heavy and slow, or small fishing boats. This boat was easy to navigate and it allowed sailors to sail upstream in shallow waters. -
Jun 17, 1492
Columbus Discovers the New World
Christopher Columbus discovers the West Indies in the New World. He was trying to find a new way to Asia to make trading faster and more efficient. But instead he discoverd the New World even though he did not realize it at the time, he though it was India. The native people there he named "Indians". -
Period: Jul 8, 1497 to May 20, 1498
Vasco da Gama
Picture of Vasco da Gama Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama went to India by sailing around the tip of Africa. His goal was to reach the Cape of Good Hope but he continued around Africa. Gama and his crew sailed into waters unknown to Europeans. This voyage is what Gama is famous for. -
Aug 14, 1499
Amerigo Vespucchi
Amerigo Vespucchi was an explorer who first thought that South America was a different continent, not part of Asia. His goal on this particular journey was to sail along the southern tip of Africa into the Indian Ocean and reach Asia. He sailed along the coast of the continent, studying it, and decided that this was totally different. He named it South America, and the northern continent North America. -
Feb 29, 1504
Astronomy
Columbus predicted the total eclipse of the moon using a book on Astronomy. Because he predicts this, he frightenes a group of Native Americans and they begin to think that he is more powerful. Columbus was so presise that he even made diagrams of when the eclipse would happen at different areas around the world. He had noticed lunar eclipses before, but this was the first time that he predicted it. -
Apr 2, 1507
New Map of America
The Waldseemuller map, as it was called, was a map that first had America on it. Named after Amerigo Vespucchi, America was a new continent that had been discovered and now it was on a map. This map shows the Americas very different than we know today. North America is very small and South America is long and thin. This is because these places that are mapped were only the places that had been explored by Europeans. -
Nov 14, 1509
Sebastian Cabot
Explorer Sebastian Cabot sailed along the coast of Greenland and enetered Hudson's Bay. He was searching for the Northwest Passage. The Northwest Passage was a water route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans along the northern coast of America. He also sailed along a "New Found Land" which later became the country Newfoundland. -
Sep 25, 1513
Isthmus of Panama
Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and reached the Pacific Ocean. The Isthmus of Panama has also been called the Isthmus of Darien. This lies between the Carribean Sea and the Pacific Ocean and it links North and South America. When Vasco Núñez de Balboa went through the Isthmus of Panama he discovered the Pacific Ocean, and after that he founded the counrty of Panama. -
Mar 7, 1514
Smallpox
When the Europeans came to the New World they also brought their diseases. Native American Indians had never been exposed to these diseases and so they were not as immune to some that the Europeans were immune to. Smallpox swept though the Native American tribes one step ahead of the Europeans. Because of the sickness, the Europeans were able to defeat a lot more tribes with their smaller numbers because they had already been weakened by sickness. -
Sep 14, 1520
Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who sailed around the world. But on this particular date, he rounded Cape Horn and entered the Pacific Ocean. His goal was to be the first person that sailed around the whole world. He sailed and explored from the Atlanic to the Pacific Ocean and discovered many new things. -
Sep 6, 1522
Voyage Around the World
The last of Ferdinand Magellan's ships with a crew of seventeen men docked in Spain to end the first around the world exploration. The last fleet to arrive was "Victoria". Because of this voyage, the Pacific Ocean was named "the peaceful sea" by Magellan. Magellan died on this voyage but his partner Elcano finished his journey for him. -
Sep 18, 1540
Coronado
Spanish explorer Coronado explored the American Southwest. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado went in search of the Seven Cities of Gold. This was also caled the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. But instead, he found something much more important, the Grand Canyon. -
Australia
Dutch explorers discovered the continent of Australia. The Dutch East India Company traded with Indosesia so they were very close to finding Australia. Willem Janszoon was the explorer in charge of this journey, and a few other explorers accompanied him. Maps from this time name Australia "New Holland". -
Exploration
I think that these facts are the fifteen most important facts about exploration. This information varies from facts about explorers to the exploration of differnt seas, oceans, and continents, to schoold and map making. Included in this timeline are famous explorers like Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and Magellan. All of these things are what makes exploration, each explorer putting more piece of the globe together, expanding on the geography and the information found in the past.
