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Jan 1, 1000
Vikings first discover Greenland
To Europeans, Greenland was unknown until the 10th century, when Icelandic Vikings settled on the southwestern coast. This part of Greenland was apparently unpopulated at the time when the Vikings arrived. -
Jan 1, 1405
Zheng He begins his voyages in China
Zheng He's fleets visited Arabia, Brunei, East Africa, India, Maritime Southeast Asia and Thailand, dispensing and receiving goods along the way. Zheng He presented gifts of gold, silver, porcelain and silk; in return, China received such novelties as ostriches, zebras, camels, ivory and a giraffe. -
Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus discovers the West Indies
Believing he had landed in the Indies near Japan or China, he called the natives "Indians," and the newly discovered land, the "West Indies;" incorrect names that would stick for the next 500 years. -
Jan 1, 1497
Bartholomeu Dias rounds the tip of Africa
In 1497 Dias accompanied Vasco da Gama on a voyage as far as the Cape Verde Islands. -
Jan 1, 1497
John Cabot discovers Newfoundland
Another Newfoundlander who supported Bonavista, W. A. Munn, suggested that Mason deliberately placed the Cabot discovery claim over the cape in Latin because he wanted every map-maker in Spain, Portugal, France or Italy to understand the meaning correctly. -
Jul 8, 1497
Vasco da Gama reaches India after rounding Africa
They set sail July 8, 1497, rounded the Cape of Good Hope four months later, and reached Calicut May 20, 1498. The Moors in Calicut instigated the Zamorin of Calicut against him, and he was compelled to return with the bare discovery and the few spices he had bought there at inflated prices. -
Apr 22, 1500
Pedro Alvarez Cabral discovers Brazil
On April 22, 1500, he sighted land (Brazil), claiming it for Portugal and naming it the "Island of the True Cross." -
Sep 20, 1519
Megellan’s ship the Vittoria completes the first circumnavigation of the globe
Setting sail on September 20, 1519, Magellan began his voyage with a crew of 237 men of doubtful reliability on five tiny ships. After three long months of sea travel, Magellan anchored near present day Rio de Janeiro.
