I cannot fathom how I would have gotten to the New World without the help and innovations of past explorers and intellectuals. It would be impractical to go out to sea without a map or a handy compass. There once was an astronomer by the name Ptolemy, and he developed a map called the Geography. It was still fairly new when I was alive, being available in Latin from 1477. Although it only showed three major landmasses – Europe, Asia, and Africa – it ultimately led us to the New World. Even though the New World had been explored by past explorers, there was still much of it unknown to Europe. I’ve been told of a past where the earth was believed to be flat and the development of maps was virtually useless for overseas voyages. Not only would a map be practical on an overseas voyage, but the ship and navigation are crucial to a successful journey. The Chinese mastered the use of the axial rudder and learned to use sails with a square rig. They also developed a way to have ships that could be in naval warfare and support a lot of weight. This helped because it helped carry cannons and large amounts of goods across the sea. Also, my crew and I used a compass to help navigate through the Atlantic Ocean. This helped us explore the seas confidently and give us more knowledge on how the wind patterns were in the ocean. By the time we set out to Mexico, we knew of the wind patterns and mastered the sailing techniques.
Source: Spielvogel
As an explorer, I am also grateful to those who have contributed to the improvement of navigation and voyaging. I find the geographic maps rather helpful while I am exploring new lands along the Canadian coasts. I have also used wind patterns and sailing techniques that you've mentioned for voyages at sea. With these ideas, trips from Europe to the New World wouldn't have to take as long as they used to. I am looking forward to see what other great innovations that will come in the future.
ReplyDelete-Samuel de Champlain