Explorer's By solidjinx Period: Jan 1, 1400 to Apr 16, 1650 Portugal Expleror's Jan 1, 1432 Portuguese navagators discover Azores Jan 1, 1441 Portuguese navigators reestablish slave trade Jan 1, 1450 Prince Henry establishes a Naval observatory for navagation, astromony, and cartography Jan 1, 1450 Invention of the printing press Jan 1, 1453 Turks overrun Contantinople; shutting off the Silk Road Jan 1, 1470 Portuguese explorer's discover Africa's gold coast and the Congo River Jan 1, 1487 Bartholomeu Dias touches the Cape of Good Hope Jan 1, 1492 Christopher Columbus sets sail Jan 1, 1494 The Treaty of Tordesillas makes Spain and Portugal enemies for the alleged purpose of spreading Christianity Jan 1, 1497 Vasco da Gama rounds the Cape of Good Hope and reaches India Jan 1, 1497 John Cabot claims new land Jan 1, 1504 Venice proposes a Suez Canal to the Sultan of Turkey Jan 1, 1506 Christopher Columbus dies Jan 1, 1511 Portugal defeats the Arabs in a major naval battle at the Straits of Sunda Jan 1, 1512 England begin contruction of double-deck warships Jan 1, 1519 Magellan begins his journey to circumnavigate the world with five ships and 270 men Apr 27, 1521 Magellan killed Philipian natives Sep 6, 1522 18 of Magellan's crew, and one ship return Jan 1, 1534 Jacques Cartier enters the St. Lawrence River Jan 1, 1577 Sir Francis Drake sets sail to circumnavigate the globe Jan 1, 1609 Henry Hudson explores present-day New York and Hudson River