When did the exploration time period start and when did it end?

Answer 1

Narrowly, the "Age of Discovery" (or "Exploration") focuses on the ground-breaking voyages of the 15th century. But I prefer to BIGGER view, which would make it about 1419- 1779.

This era is generally regarded as beginning with the early 15th century voyages of the Portuguese, inaugurated by Prince Henry the Navigator in 1419. A major impetus for these efforts was the rise of the Ottoman Turks, cutting off the land route to the Orient and its coveted spices, but another key piece is recent TECHNOLOGICAL advances (compass & ship-building) that made open sea voyages of many weeks POSSIBLE for the first time.

Columbus was, of course, part of this, but NOT the beginning!! His contribution being the suggestion of sailing west across the Atlantic rather than around the Horn of Africa. His proposal met strong opposition, NOT because of anyone thinking the earth flat, as the mythology has it--the educated had known the earth's shape for a couple of thousand years!-- but because they thought the world much too large and the proposed voyage too long to be safely accomplished. (In fact, Columbus's opponents were fairly accurate about the size of the earth; his estimate was much too small... but he lucked out, thanks to an unknown land mass in between!)

The MAIN part of the Age of Exploration/Discovery covers the 15th-16th centuries, including the early explorations of the Americas and Magellan's circumnavigating the globe.

But this leaves the story only half-told. Much of the PACIFIC remained to be explored -- that did NOT end with Magellan. The key to this comes with the extensive Pacific explorations (and map drawing) of Captain James Cook -- his third and final voyage ran from 1776-79 (with his death in Hawaii).

Cook's story is well told in the recent book, *Farther Than Any Man: The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook by Martin Dugard* (Simon & Shuster, 2001). The title is based on an entry in Cook's journal from his second voyage, in which he wrote of his ambition to go "....farther than any other man has been before me...as far as I think it possible for a man to go".

If you're getting Star Trek deja vu here, you're right. The name "Captain James T Kirk", the three-year mission of the Starship Enterprise, to explore strange new worlds, "to boldly go where no man has gone before" is ALL based on Cook's adventures, esp. his FIRST Voyage on "the Endeavor". (And, if you're a Peter Pan fan, Cook was also the inspiration for Barrie's "Captain Hook".)

Answer 2

Humans have been always "exploring" their surroundings since our ancestors left Africa looking for food, into the Middle East and from there to Oceania, Europe, Asia and eventually the Americas.

Although we know our planet quite well, we are still exploring the outer confines of space, I think the urge to explore is our very human nature.

Regarding the European "age of exploration", I would say it started with Columbus in 1492 setting out to look for a route to Cathay (China) by sea and finding the American continent. It probably ended when the last unknown patch of geography was mapped in the late 19th century. We are talking of course about central or "dark" Africa, as it was known back then, which remained a mystery until that late in history for most Europeans.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

In Hawaii will energizes you the fresh, floral air energizes you. The warm, tranquil waters will refresh you and the breathtaking, natural beauty renews you so now is about the time to know this amazing place, starting from with hotelbye because look around! There’s no place on earth like Hawaii. In Hawaii, the six unique islands offer distinct experiences that will entice any traveller. In Hawaii you will discover your ideal travel experience. Waikiki is one of the Hawaii islands and is the Hawaii's biggest tourist attraction. A suburb of Honolulu, Waikiki is easy to reach and offers all the amenities and entertainment of a modern city. At the end of the crescent shaped beach is the extinct volcano known as Diamond Head Crater, adding a spectacular backdrop to the incredible sun drenched beach.

Answer 4

First craft in orbit: Russian sattelite named Sputnik 1 launched in October 4, 1957. First living thing in Space: Russian Dog named "Laika" on the craft Sputnik 2, launched November 3, 1957. Laika did not survive. First man in space: Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in April 12th 1967. Also the first man to complete orbit around Earth. First American in Space: Alan Shepard on the Mercury program in May 1961. He didn't complete an orbit, but ended up as the fifth man on the moon. First man on Moon. American Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11, July 1969. With the immortal words "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Are there any other acheivements you would like to know?