-
In 1492, Spain funded Columbus' expedition to India, though he actually landed in the Caribbean.
-
On June 7th 1494, Portugal claims Brazil and gave land to Portuguese nobles. Afterword, Europeans moved their to farm brazilwood and sugar.
-
June 24th, 1497 John Cabot set out from England in an attempt to find a northwest path to Asia. He landed in the east coast of North America, claiming the land for King Henry VII believing it was Asia.
-
On May 20th 1598, Vasco da Gama set foot on India after traveling along the southern end of Africa. Though he lost half his ships and many of his men, the voyage did yield profit when he returned home with a cargo of spices to sell.
-
With help from his success in India, Da Gama was able to outfit a new fleet of sailors and forcefully establishes a treaty of cooperation on Calicut.
-
After reading about Columbus' find of the "New World" written by Amerigo Vespucci, a german mapmaker names the continent America, and the Caribbean where Columbus originally landed the West Indies.
-
Portugal started taking control of key ports around the Indian Ocean after Da Gama's successes. They'd capture Malacca in 1511, allying with Asian rulers and becoming established in their trade routes.
-
In February of 1519, Hernan Cortés, a Spanish conquistador lands in Mexico with few men and supplies. Although severely outnumbered by the Aztecs, they managed to capture the capital city known as Tenochtitlán.
-
Ferdinant Maggelan led an expedition to circumnavigate the globe. It was completed in 1522 although four ships fell along with him.
-
on July 28th, 1576, Martin Frobisher set out to America to find a northwest passage between the Atlantic and Asia. During the voyage he spots what's now Labrador, Canada.