Vasco da Gama Reaches India: The Sea Route That Changes Everything
Vasco da Gama drops anchor in Kozhikode, shattering the Venetian monopoly on spice trade and compelling European powers to sail directly around Africa for Asian goods. This arrival launches a century of Portuguese naval dominance in the Indian Ocean that transforms global commerce and redraws the map of colonial empires.
May 20, 1498
528 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 20
Constantine thought inviting 1,800 bishops would unify Christianity. Only 318 showed up to Nicaea, many bearing scars from recent Roman persecutions—missing eye…
A widow chose an emperor. When Zeno died of dysentery in 491, his wife Ariadne held something no Byzantine woman had possessed before: the right to pick the nex…
A massive earthquake leveled the Byzantine city of Antioch, claiming roughly 250,000 lives and shattering the region’s infrastructure. This catastrophe crippled…
un tremblement de terre détruit Antioche et y entraîne 250 000 morts.
Einem Erdbeben in Antiochia und Syrien fallen laut Angaben des Historikers Johannes Malalas bis zu 250.000 Menschen zum Opfer.
en la región de Siria (parte del Imperio romano de oriente) sucede un terremoto de XI grados en la escala modificada de Mercalli (que mide daños). Deja un saldo…
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