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Jan 1, 1346
The Black Death
The Black Death begun in the Gobi Desert in the Fourteenth Century. It killed about 1.5 million out of about 4 million people. Rats carried around the infected fleas and people could be killed very quickly when they were infected. The was a social decline during the Black Death because people did not want to communicate and spread the deadly disease. -
Jan 1, 1400
Major improvements are made in sailing ships.
In the 1400s there were many improvements in sailing ships. People were beginning to use caravels instead of canoes. Caravels were small vessels with broad bows and high narrow poop decks. Many important ships such as the Santa Maria, the Nina and the Pinta were caravels. -
Jan 1, 1420
The first caravels are built.
For the first time, and Asian ship enters the Atlantic Ocean by rounding the Cape of Good Hope. The caravel is a light sailing ship that that was developed by the Portuguese in the late 1400's, and was used for the next 300 years. The Portuguese developed this ship to help them explore the African coast. -
Jan 1, 1431
The first Chinese ships reach Africa.
In 1431, Chinese ships first sailed the route between China and Africa. With this new route, Chinese goods and African goods could be exchanged. New trade was introduced. Plants and new foods were introduced to the different peoples. -
Nov 11, 1453
Moslem Turks capture the great Christian city of Constantinople.
Some historians use date as the beginning of the historical period called the Renaissance. After this time, the Genose put their financial support behind Portugese efforts to find a new route to Asia. The empire ended after about 1000 years of fighting. The Turks enemys were in a hopeless situation for about 2 months. -
Nov 11, 1487
Bartholomeu Dias
Bartholomeu Dias becomes the first European to reach the southern tip of Africa: the Cape of Good Hope. European trade routes overland to Asia had been thrown into chaos by Muslim expansion across North Africa and into the Balkans. Portuguese explorers were ordered to go further south. Dias made his way into the unknown and he found the Cape of Good Hope. -
Nov 11, 1492
Columbus discovers the West Indes in the New World.
Columbus also learns tha compasses change direction slightly as the longitude changes. Columbus led his three ships - the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria - out of the Spanish port of Palos. His wanted to sail west until he reached Asia (the Indies) where the riches of gold, pearls and spice awaited. His first stop was the Canary Islands where the lack of wind left his expedition becalmed. -
Nov 11, 1498
Columbus discovers the American continent but believes it is part of Asia.
When Columbus reached America he was not sure where he was. He thought he might be in Asia. But he later realized that he reached America. He found that America and Asia were seperate continents. -
Nov 11, 1499
Amerigo Vespucchi explores along the coast of South America and decides it is a new continent and is not part of Asia.
Amerigo Vespucchi was an amazing explorer. In 1499 he discovered that South America was a new continent. Before this, people thought that America and Asia were connected. But Vespucchi found that these two continents were not connected. -
Nov 11, 1512
Portuguese explorers
The Portuguese were very good explorers. In 1512 they made a new discovery. Portuguese explorers reach the Spice Islands in the East Indeies (The Moluccas). This was very important and boosted trade. -
Nov 11, 1513
Balboa
Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama and discovers the Pacific Ocean. Ponce de Leon lands in Florida. When Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean, many new opportunities for trade routes were made. People had a new ocean to travel through. -
Nov 11, 1539
Spanish explorer De Soto explores what is today the Southeastern United States.
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Nov 11, 1542
Giovanni Verrasano
Giovanni Verrasano explores the coast of North America for France. -
Dutch explorers discover Australia.
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Falileo builds his first telescope.
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Why I chose these 15 dates.