When world-modifying changes do occur like the “discovery” of the Americas, they usually are the culmination (Links to an external site.) of a series of events. With the voyage of discovery initiated by Columbus, there was new knowledge that had been gained in the preceding half century or so that changed the way sailors and explorers looked at the world. There were also changes in the tools they used in their exploration.
Henry the Navigator
Henry the Navigator of Portugal was one of the more influential (Links to an external site.) men in this period. With a name like “the Navigator,” one would think this was a man who traveled extensively and pushed back the frontiers of the known world. He did help push out the boundaries of the world, but he did it by establishing a learning center where the most advanced cartographers (Links to an external site.) of the day could produce new, more precise charts of the world. He directed studies of winds and currents. He provided instrument makers a place in which to improve their creations, and he taught sailors how to use these better maps and instruments, in their voyages.
Henry directed numerous expeditions (Links to an external site.) to Africa where the information he gave to his captains allowed them to explore farther and farther south, until Bartholomew Diaz rounded the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa in 1488. It was during these Portuguese-backed expeditions that we see the beginnings of the slave trade that would over a period of nearly 400 years cause the forced relocation of an estimated 30 million Africans to the Americas.
In 1440, Johann Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press. “So what?” you ask. Well, just as it is today, information is power. Gutenberg’s invention allowed ideas and information to be more readily dispersed (Links to an external site.). Many countries, because they wanted to be the first to discover and exploit new lands, made every attempt to keep their knowledge of winds, currents, and other aspects of their exploration secret. But gradually, thanks to Gutenberg, such knowledge spread. Within a few years after Columbus’ voyages, the Portuguese were producing a compilation (Links to an external site.) of navigation manuals and charts called a portolans, an important edge for seafarers who were able to get one.
Changes in the way ships were designed and built were also important factors in Columbus’ voyage. The heavy, clumsy (Links to an external site.) designs which were so difficult to handle were slowly replaced with the caravel (Links to an external site.). These ships were much preferred by explorers because they were faster, lighter and more easily handled than earlier vessels.