First European Expedition To Reach South Africa And Indian Ocean – On Feb 4, 1488
AncientPages.com - On February 4, 1488, Dias reached Mossel Bay, South Africa. He had passed Africa’s southern tip.
Dias rounded the cape and landed. Since it was the day of the Feast of St. Blaise, Dias named the spot Angra de São Brás – Portuguese for Bay of St. Blaise. Here, he encountered a group of African natives. At first, the natives fled from Dias and his men.
But they returned and attacked the Portuguese crew.6 Dias continued sailing on. He reached the farther point of his journey on March 12 when they reached Algoa Bay.
Bartolomeu Dias was the first European explorer to sail around the southern coast of Africa successfully. In 1488, Dias proved that a sea trading route from Europe to Asia was possible. The coast of Africa often had terrible storms which often deterred explorers. But with some luck and skill, Dias navigated these waters to open a new way to reach India from Europe.
They erected a large stone cross and claimed the land for Portugal.7 Dias, was determined to make his way to India. He wanted to press on, but his crew tired and running low on supplies so they refused to go farther. Dias had no choice but to head back for Portugal.
On the return voyage, Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope, in May 1488. Dias returned to Lisbon in December of that year, after an absence of sixteen months and seventeen days.
The discovery of the passage around southern Africa was significant because, for the first time, Europeans could trade directly with India and the Far East, bypassing the overland Euro-Asian route with its expensive European, Middle Eastern and Central Asian middlemen.The official report of the expedition has been lost.
AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesReferences:
More From Ancient Pages
-
On This Day In History: Maximilien Robespierre Sent To The Guillotine – On July 28, 1794
News | Jul 28, 2016
-
On This Day In History: The Mongol Conqueror Genghis Khan Died – On August 18, 1227
News | Aug 18, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Island Of St. Helena – Last Residence Of Napoleon Discovered – On May 21, 1502
News | May 21, 2016
-
On This Day In History: National Hero Paul Revere Warns Of The British Coming – On Apr 18, 1775
News | Apr 18, 2017
-
On This Day In History: Greek Archaeologist Manolis Andronikos Who Discovered Tomb of Philip II of Macedon, Was Born – On Oct 23, 1919
News | Oct 23, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Canute Lavard Was Murdered By His Cousin, Magnus I Of Sweden – On Jan 7, 1131
Historical Figures | Jan 7, 2017
-
On This Day In History: Great English Dramatist And Poet William Shakespeare, Was Probably Born – On Apr 23, 1564
News | Apr 23, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Ferdinand Magellan Reached Pacific And South American Strait – On Nov 28, 1520
News | Nov 28, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Sweden Declares War On Its Ally The United Kingdom – On Nov 17, 1810
News | Nov 17, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Alexander The Great Defeats Darius III Of Persia In The Battle Of The Granicus On May 22, 334 B.C.
News | May 22, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Johannes Kepler ‘Father Of Modern Astronomy’ Was Born – On Dec 27, 1571
News | Dec 27, 2016
-
On This Day In History: England’s Act Against Multipliers Signed Into Law – On Jan 13, 1404
News | Jan 13, 2017
-
On This Day In History: A Solar Eclipse Occurs, As Predicted By Thales Of Miletus – On May 28, 585 BC
News | May 28, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Cliff Palace At Mesa Verde, Colorado Discovered – On Dec 18, 1888
News | Dec 18, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Ensisheim Meteorite Fell To Earth – On Nov 7, 1492
News | Nov 7, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Copernicus’ s Book Banned By Catholic Church – On Mar 5, 1616
News | Mar 5, 2017
-
On This Day In History: The Lumière Brothers Presented Their First Film In Paris – On Dec 28, 1895
News | Dec 28, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Dante Alighieri Famous For His ‘Divine Comedy’ Born – On May 9, 1265
News | May 9, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Irish Saint Columbanus Founder Of Monasteries In Europe Died – On Nov 21, 615
News | Nov 21, 2016
-
On This Day In History: Ceres Discovered By Giuseppe Piazzi – On Jan 1, 1801
News | Jan 1, 2017