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Exploring the Explorers!. The first explorers/discoverers of new water routes and new land. Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460). Born in Portugal Set out with ships and mapped the western coast of Africa. Created a type of school that gathered crucial knowledge about maps and sailing.
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The first explorers/discoverers of new water routes and new land.
Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) • Born in Portugal • Set out with ships and mapped the western coast of Africa. • Created a type of school that gathered crucial knowledge about maps and sailing. • This sets off the Age of Exploration!
Bartolomeu Dias (1451-1500) • Born a nobleman in Portugal. • 1st to figure out how far south Africa extended. • Sailed from Portugal, went along the West coast of Africa, sailed to the tip of S. Africa, and then went back to Portugal. • Showed people it might be possible to reach Asia by sailingsouth and around Africa.
Vasco de Gama (1460-1524) • Born in Portugal. • In 1497-99 he followed Dias’ route down the coast of Africa but kept going. • He sailed all the way to West India and was the 1st to reach India by an all water route.
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) • Born in Italy (we think) but sailed for Spain. • 1st of the Europeans to “discover” new land to the west that previously was unknown. • Sailed West, looking for a new water route to India. • Went on 4 total voyages and always thought he had found India not a new continent!
Pedro Alvarez Cabral • Sailed from Spain. • Trying to go around the tip of Africa, but went WAAAAYY too far to the West. • Actually landed in present day Brazil. • 1st to explore South America.
Amerigo Vespucci • Followed Cabral’s route to Brazil. • Then followed the coast to the Southern tip of South America and took excellent notes. • He made detailed maps of the American continent and America is named after him!
Ponce de Leon (1460-1521) • Born in Spain, sailed with Columbus on his 2nd voyage. • Best known for his exploration of what is now Florida. • But he also discovered the strong ocean current we call the Gulf Stream that speeds ships across the Atlantic to Cuba and Florida.
Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) • Born in Portugal but sailed for Spain. • Wanted to sail around the world and get to Asia by sailing West from Europe. • Sailed down the tip of S. America, crossed to the Pacific Ocean, and landed in the Philippines off the coast of Asia. • Magellan is killed by some natives but his crew kept sailing, made it to India, around the tip of Africa, and then back to Europe. • Yay! They made it around the world!
John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto 1451-1498) • Born in Italy but convinced Henry VIII of England to sponsor his search for a way across the Atlantic to Asia. • 1st set sail in 1497, reached N. America, returned to Europe. • The next year he sailed again and disappeared somewhere in Canada never heard from again…
Vasco Nunez de Balboa (1475-1519) • Born in Spain. • 1501, sailed across the Atlantic. • 12 years later, led an expedition across Panama, where he was the 1st European to the Pacific Ocean.
Hernan Cortes (1485-1547) • Born in Spain. • Wanted in on all the action going on in the New World. • Left Spain in 1504 (not even 20 years old yet), helped in the conquest of Cuba, and later defeated the mighty Aztec Empire. • Became captain-general of New Spain and later returned to Spain where he died.
Francisco Pizarro (1475-1541) • Born in Spain and went to the New World in 1502. • 20 years later he heard stories of a wealthy kingdom and in 1530, set out to conquer it. • Lucky for him, the Inca Empire were in the middle of a Civil War, and Pizarro was able to conquer them with only 180 men.
Hernando de Soto (1500-1542) • Born in Spain. • Went with Pizarro and helped conquer the Incan Empire. • In 1539, marched with 600 men from Florida across the southeast, leaving a legacy of destruction and cruelty wherever he went.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (1510-1554) • Born to a noble family in Spain. • Went to Mexico is 1535, heard stories of the 7 cities of gold (Cibola) in North America, led 1,400 men to the interior of the continent. • Most of the men died and they found no gold!