Obituaries
Extreme losses in the 1400s-1500s
Vasco da Gama 1460-1524
Vasco de Gama did amazing things throughout his life. He was born circa 1460. He was a successful explorer. In 1497 he led four ships around the Cape of Good Hope. Since da Gama was so courageous he wanted to continue his journey. A long ten month journey led him to Calicut on the west coast of India. However, the journey home was very hard on all of his crew. Many died and became extremely sick. The journey was well worth it in the end when da Gama acquired spices and made a huge profit. Today he is given credit for Portugal's status for world power. He passed away on December 24, 1524 due to overworking himself.
Prince Henry 1394-1460
During Prince Henry's life he contributed a lot to Portugal's exploration. He was born in 1394 and died in 1460. When he was 21 he helped his father and brothers defeat an attack in the Moslem port of Cuetha in Morrocco. This sparked his determination to explore and travel to Africa. Henry did not actually go on explorations himself. He set up schools and paid for voyages. Also, he helped with the redesigning of ships. He gathered scientists and they all contributed to the making of new ships. Henry's ships made their way to discover the western coast of Africa. Without Prince Henry, many explorations would not have been made and new ships would not have been constructed. He is given much credit for the discoveries by Portugal.
Christopher Columbus 1451-1506
Christopher Columbus was an Italian navigator. He was from Genoa and wanted to reach the East Indies. When he made his voyage, he underestimated the size of the Earth. On August 3, 1492 he set out with three ships to make his way to the East Indies. Columbus believed he had made it to Asia but he had actually made it to an unknown continent. Although he had not discovered what he intended, he still contributed to the geography of the Earth. He passed away May of 1506.