HISTORY QUESTION #129
What was the explorer Vasco da Gama the first to do?
Sail to India via the southern tip of Africa
Explanation
Vasco da Gama (1469–1524) was a Portuguese explorer. In 1497, King Manuel the 1st of Portugal dispatched him and four boats to find the sea route to India via the southern tip of Africa. The fleet arrived on the Western shores of India on 20 May 1498. Vasco da Gama followed in the footsteps of Bartolomeu Dias, who was the first to round the Cape of Good Hope (the southernmost tip of Africa). Vasco da Gama died of malaria in 1524 on a new expedition.
Statistics
Answer time 0s (0s). 51% have previously answered correct on this question. The question was created 2008-04-21.