World History Dates By SandyS:)! May 20, 1418 Prince Henry starts a navigation school May 20, 1488 Christopher Columbus reaches the Caribbean May 20, 1488 • Bartolomeu Dias rounds the southern tip of Africa May 20, 1497 Vasco da Gama reaches the port of Calicut on the Indian Ocean May 20, 1498 • Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas May 20, 1521 Ferdinand Magellan leads a Spanish expedition to the Philippines May 20, 1565 Spain begins settlements in the Philippines May 20, 1596 • The Dutch establish a trading center on Java May 20, 1602 France sets up its own East India Company