Exploration and discovery

Renaissance

"rebirth"; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome

Ottoman Empire

A Muslim empire based in Turkey that lasted from the 1300's to 1922.

compass

A compass is a navigational tool for finding direction on Earth's surface. The oldest and most common type of compass is the magnetic compass. Magnetized iron, when allowed to move freely, will swing around until the iron is pointing north and south. Magnetic compasses work because Earth has magnetic poles that are generally close to the north and south poles. Compass needles always point to these poles.

mutiny

A mutiny is an active rebellion or resistance to a military authority by someone who is under the command of that authority. The term is sometimes used to describe any rebellion against a commander on a ship, even if it is not a military ship. Mutiny was considered a very serious offense, especially at sea, and ship commanders could use severe punishments, even the death penalty, against sailors who committed mutiny.

patron

A patron is an individual or a group who provides financial, moral, or political support to someone in need. In Latin, patronus means "defender, protector, advocate.

quadrant

A quadrant is a tool that allows people to accurately measure the altitude of the sun or a star above the horizon. It is made of an arc that shows angle measurements up to 90 degrees and a movable radius to measure the angle of the sun above the horizon.

Amerigo Vespucci

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian merchant and explorer-navigator. He was a contemporary of Christopher Columbus. In 1499, Vespucci made his first expedition for the government of Spain. It is believed that, during this expedition, he explored the north coast of South America and the mouth of the Amazon River. After Spain refused to support another expedition, he worked for the government of Portugal. He explored parts of Brazil during another voyage, from 1501 to 1502. Brazil would eventually be marked as Portuguese territory.

expedition

An expedition is a journey taken for a specific purpose. One of the best-known expeditions in U.S. history is the Lewis and Clark expedition, which took place from 1804 to 1806.

Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky peninsula found at the southern end of South Africa. It was once thought to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

astrolabe

Astrolabes are ancient scientific instruments used by astronomers and mariners. They were used as early as the 500s, and by about 800 they had been fully developed in the Islamic world. From there the use of astrolabes spread to Europe. Astrolabes became widely used in Europe during the Middle Ages.

Hernando de Soto

At approximately 14 years old, Hernando de Soto left his hometown of Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain, to begin a life of adventure overseas. In 1514, he joined an expedition to the West Indies and after several years, became wealthy by trading slaves. De Soto, like many of his fellow conquistadors, often treated the natives he met in his travels with extreme brutality.

Bartolomeu Dias

Bartolomeu Dias's voyage around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa was a major milestone for Portugal's effort to dominate Indian Ocean trade. Finding a sea route from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean put Portugal on the path of becoming a major world power.

Northwest Passage

Beginning in the late 1400s, European explorers searched the land and waters of North America for the Northwest Passage. This sea route, if it existed, was said to connect the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Such a passage would give Europeans a direct shipping route to East Asia and its trade wealth.

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus's exploration of the New World led to Spain's rise in global power and changed the course of history. Sponsored by the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Columbus sought a direct sea route to India. He commanded three ships--the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María--during his first expedition in 1492. He failed to reach India, but he made landfall in the Caribbean, a region in the Americas, which were previously unknown to Europeans.

Strait of Magellan

During the Age of Exploration, European sailors began to explore the world. One of them was Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer. On September 20, 1519, an expedition of five ships commanded by Magellan left Spain and headed for Brazil. On October 21, 1520, the expedition—now just three ships—entered a waterway at the tip of South America. It turned out to be a strait—a narrow channel that connects two large bodies of water. Sailing through the strait, the expedition entered the Pacific Ocean. The strait was later named for Magellan.

Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan served as a navigator and explorer for both the Portuguese and Spanish governments. The expedition he led for the Spanish government to circumnavigate the globe brought Magellan his greatest fame and his death.

Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson, an English navigator, was one of several explorers to search for the famed "Northwest Passage" to Asia. In his quest to find such a passage, Hudson traveled and documented several important bodies of water. Though Hudson did not manage to find a Northwest Passage, his work was instrumental in understanding the layout of North America. Consequently, the Hudson River, Hudson Bay, and Hudson Strait are all named after him. The river bears his name not because he discovered it but because he was the first to navigate it and provide a detailed account.

lateen sail

The lateen sail represented a significant breakthrough in water transportation. Although the exact origin of this type of sail is unknown, some believe the Egyptians invented it sometime before the 100s BCE. The widespread use of lateen sails in the Arab world made them popular in the Mediterranean region. The lateen sail allowed a sailboat to maneuver more accurately and sail in any direction no matter which way the wind was blowing.

caravel

Used by Spanish and Portuguese sailors in the 1400s to 1600s, caravels were small sailing ships. The ships were light, fast, and more maneuverable than many other ships of the time. Due to these characteristics, they were very good for long voyages. Originally designed for exploration of the African coast, caravels had two to four masts, several triangular sails, and sometimes one square sail. They were steered with a rudder.

Vasco Núñez de Balboa

Vasco Núñez de Balboa is best known for his exploration of the shores of the Pacific Ocean. He is credited with being the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. Prior to his sighting of the Pacific Ocean, Balboa helped found the town of Santa Maria de la Antigua on the Isthmus of Panama. It became the first stable settlement in South America. There Balboa led expeditions to find gold and kidnap slaves.

Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese navigator whose explorations around the Cape of Good Hope to India helped establish a sea route from Western Europe to the East. Between 1497 and 1524, da Gama led a series of three expeditions to India. During his first expedition to India, in 1497, he led four ships around the Cape of Good Hope and stopped along the east coast of Africa.

John Cabot

John Cabot was convinced that the world was round and that a Northwest Passage to Asia existed. He journeyed to England and won the support of King Henry VII to mount an expedition to find it.

Juan Ponce de León

Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer who is best known for his discovery of Florida while searching for the mythical fountain of youth. He may have been part of the second expedition of Christopher Columbus.

Queen Isabella

Queen Isabella ruled the Spanish kingdoms of Castile and Aragon and later united the Spanish kingdoms into a single nation. Spain's colonial expansion began under Isabella's rule.

Spain

Spain is a nation in Europe that borders the Mediterranean Sea, Portugal, and France. Spanish explorers, including Juan Ponce de León and Christopher Columbus (among many others), played a large role in the exploration of North America.