October 12 - Christopher Columbus Discovers the New World

This Day in History: 12 October 2020

 

12 October 1492

 

528 years ago, today, Christopher Columbus reached the 'New World' after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, claiming the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain. After setting sail from Palos, Spain, in August, the expedition reached land. Cuba was spotted afterwards, which he thought was mainland China, and in December, they landed on Hispaniola, which was mistaken for Japan. He established a small colony there with 39 men. When he returned to Spain, Columbus brought with him gold, spices and 'Indian' captives. This was received with the highest honours by the Spanish court.

 

During his lifetime, Columbus in total led four expeditions to the 'New World', exploring many Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the South and Central American main lands. He was also the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings in the 10^th century, when they had set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland. However, he never achieved his original goal, a western oceanic route to the cities of Asia. In 1506, Columbus died without realising what he did accomplish. He had opened Europe to the New World, whose riches would help make Spain the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth.

 

Want to find out more about Columbus' discovery of the New World? Click here for more information, or here for more on the legend's truth.

September 26 - Sir Francis Drake's Circumnavigation of the Globe

This Day in History: 26 September 2020 

 

26 September 1580 

 

440 years ago, today, Francis Drake finished his circumnavigation of the globe when he returned to Plymouth, becoming the first British navigator to sail the earth. He had set out from England three years prior, on a mission to raid Spanish holdings on the Pacific coast of the New World. After crossing the Atlantic, Drake abandoned two of his ships in South America and sailed into the Straits of Magellan with the remaining three. Storms wrecked one of these ships and forced another back to England. Only the 'Golden Hind' reached the Pacific Ocean, but Drake continued unphased as he raided the Spanish settlements and captured a rich Spanish treasure ship. 

 

Reaching as far north as present-day Washington before turning back, Drake paused near San Francisco Bay in June 1579 to repair his ship. He called the land 'Nova Albion' and claimed the territory for Queen Elizabeth. In July, the expedition visited several islands across the Pacific before rounding Africa's Cape of Good Hope and returning to the Atlantic Ocean. Drake returned to Plymouth bearing rich captured treasures and valuable information about the world's oceans. Queen Elizabeth I knighted Drake in 1581 during a visit to his ship. He later played a crucial role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The great explorer and the most renowned of the Elizabethan seamen died in 1596 at the age of 56. 

 

Want to find out more about the life of Francis Drake? Click here for more information, or here for more about if he was a pirate or hero.