Da Gama, Columbus, & Magellan

Vasco da Gama Left Portugal to sail to India. He went the same way that Dias did, down the western side of Africa to the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape of Good Hope is a landform that juts into the water at the tip of Africa. Unlike Dias, da Gama kept going until he reached India

Cape of Good Hope

Da Gama Returns At first, everything was okay in India, but then relations deteriorated. Left on bad terms. Took him TWO YEARS to get back to Portugal

Scurvy Many of his sailors got scurvy: a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C.

When He Got Back... Treated as a king. Three years later, da Gama went to India again. He died there from malaria (on Christmas Eve)

A Few Other Things About Da Gama... Took one entire ship just for storage! Because there was a monsoon wind, they reached India in less than one month. Vasco took three interpreters on the first voyage. Took 4 ships on his first trip to India, but his fleet on the 2nd voyage consisted of 20 armed ships. http://www.biography.com/people/vasco-da-gama-9305736

Columbus Spain paid for his trips. Wanted to find a shortcut to India by sailing west from Spain. Discovered North America for Europe. Was not a very always a very nice guy. http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/vasco-da-gama/videos/columbus-quest-for-gold?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false Kept 2 journals. Died thinking he had found a western route to India.

Did Columbus discover America? http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus No, but he discovered it for…(finish the sentence)

Search for gold & lunar eclipse: http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/vasco-da-gama/videos/columbus-uses-the-skies-to-survive?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false

A Few Other Things About Columbus: Columbus was first buried in Spain, however his remains were later moved to Santo Domingo in the new world and then back, again, to Spain. Columbus brought horses to the new world on his second voyage. In his original calculations, he thought that Asia would be 2,400 miles from Portugal. He was way off. It is actually 10,000 miles away! Not to mention the huge continent in between.

Magellan Like Columbus, was trying to find a western route to Asia. Named the Strait of Magellan: located in South America Named the Pacific Ocean El Pacifico, meaning peaceful in Spanish.

Magellan Died in the Philippines, crew continued on. Left with 5 ships, 1 returned to Spain (one wrecked, one turned back in a storm, one was left in the Philippines, and one began leaking and was left in India). Cargo of spices paid the cost of the entire trip (3 years).

A Few Other Things About Magellan... One of the survivors was a sailor named Antonio Pigafetta. He wrote detailed journals throughout the voyage recording all that happened. Much of what we know about Magellan's travels comes from his journals. Told of the exotic animals, fish, and the terrible conditions they endured. Many of the sailors were Spanish and did not trust Magellan because he was Portuguese. The King of Portugal, King Manuel I, sent ships to stop Magellan, but was unsuccessful. On the long journey across the Pacific the sailors ate rats and sawdust to survive.

Name That Route!