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In Europe along with the flourishing trade routes came the Black Plague. The Europeans believed that this disease was a punishment for their sins from God. It was really a disease carried by rats and transmitted by fleas. The plague killed one-third of Europe's population.
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In the 1400's there were numerous sailing improvements. One of these changes include the increase in cannon use. The cannons were placed on the ships' main deck. The way ships were constructed were based off of some of Isaac Newton and Aristotle's discoveries and theories.
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Ptolomey was a geographer in the second century who created a map of the world. It was lost but later rediscovered in 1406. Christopher Columbus was later inspired by this map. He believed that Asia could be reached by sailing west from Europe.
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In 1420 the first caravels were built. It is a small and fast sailing ship. The lateen sail, a triangular sail was used to work with and against the wind. The voyage around the Cape of Good Hope used the first caravel, Asian, ship. Ths journey entailed really strong currents.
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Johannes Guttenburg invented the first movable type printing press. The invention was an inexpensive way to spread knowledge. Guttenburg's first publication was the Bible. The Bible later became the number one bestseller in the world.
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Portugal had its first slave auction in 1442. Slave practices have been going on for a long time. Instead of private selling and buying of slaves, there was a public auction. This marked the centuries of popular slave trading.
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In 1453 the Moslem Turks captured Constantinople, a great Christian city. Some historians believe that this was the beginning of the Renaissance. The Renaissance got a lot of people interested in exploring new lands. The Portuguese had financial support to find a new route to Asia.
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In 1487 Bartholomeu Dias became the first European to reach the southern tip of Africa. He also reached the Cape of Good Hope. He tried to find a new trade route to Asia after the capture of Constantinople. This saved Europe a huge amount of money because traders could travel straight to India and Asia and get goods without the extra costs.
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Christopher Columbus discovered the West Indies in the "New World". He was sailing to find a new route to Asia, but discovered the "New World". He landed in what is now called the West Indies. He named it this because he believed it was part of India.
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The Treaty of Tordesillas divided the undiscovered lands outside of Europe between Spain and Portugal.These two countries were divided to settle an unsolved dispute between them. The document was to show how much power the other had in exploration. About thirty years later there was another treaty that was put into effect dividing more land.
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Christopher Columbus believed he discovered a new route to Asia. Amerigo saw Christopher's error. Columbus found a new continent. He founded what is now part of South America.
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In the year of 1449 Amerigo Vespucchi discovered that Christopher Columbus made an error. Amerigo agreed that Columbus found a New World but it was not Asia. The new continent that Vespucchi discovered was actually part of South America. Later his discovery led to naming the founded continents after Amerigo, the "Americas".
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In 1514 the Smallpox wiped out Native populations. The European population was fairly immune to this disease. The Smallpox was transmitted by the Europeans. Their voyages to the "New World" brought the Smallpox to the unluck Natives.
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The Inca emperor, Atahuallpa, was killed in 1533. He had been captured in battle and held by Pizarro. The attack was unexpected causing the indians defenseless. Atahuallpa's death and the Smallpox weakened the Inca Empire. Spain could easily conquer the quickly corrupted empire.
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In 1588 the destruction of the Spanish Armada made England the world's greatest sea power. Led by Francis Drake and another commander in 1588. The battle, from 1585-1604, was the largest in the Anglo-Spanish war. Only around fifty of the original one hundred and thirty ships did not make it back to Spain.
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I chose the particular events that are presented because I thought they were important dates and events that helped form the importance of exploration. The two major diseases that are mentioned are important to exploration because they were spread from trading and exploring "new" or foreign lands. They were able to desimate a large percentage of a population. I also included what I thought were important discoveries and/or inventions in exploration. Like Christopher Columbus discovering the....
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Americas and Johannes Guttenburg inventing the printer. I thought the printer was important because it was a faster way to spread knowledge and ideas throughout the world. All of these discoveries and advancements helped to connect the whole world together and ask questions, become curious, and get people thinking of newer and better ideas.
