“Some of the world’s greatest inventions came from China.” Much of the world today has still been undiscovered. But without the compass the Chinese and Americans might not have known each other existed. With the compass, explorers were able to navigate their way through many of the seas and land into the Western Hemisphere.
One reason the compass is so important is because it helped sailors navigate their way across the seas and lands. According to Journey Across Time, “About 1150 Chinese sailors began using the compass to help them find their way. This lets ships sail farther from land.” (page 420) This stated that without the compass Chinese sailors wouldn’t have been able to find their way across the sea and discover many parts of the world we know of today. Ancient China Inventions also thought the invention of
…show more content…
According to Document four, “The invention of the compass largely helped the explorers during the Middle Ages discover the Western Hemisphere of the world.” This additionally stated that without the compass, explorers wouldn’t have been able to discover the Western Hemisphere. Leaving the Chinese to not know about the Americans. Lastly, the compass didn’t just allow us to discover parts of the world, but it also helps us navigate our way when traveling. For example, when going on vacations and traveling, we are going to need to have some way of direction in order for us to know where we’re going. Today, we have our phones and maps to help us navigate our way to different parts of the world. However back then the Chinese and Americans didn’t have electronic devices to help them navigate their way through different parts of the world. All three of these quotes
When comparing the Chinese and Western historical development, the similar key events would have very different outcomes due to their different backgrounds. During the fifteenth century, Zheng He was commissioned to lead the “treasure ships” for seven voyages down the Western Seas. And, Prince Henry sent expeditions to explore the western coast of Africa. China and Portugal, the both ends of the Eurasian continent, almost simultaneously began marine navigations. They have shared some similar features, but there are actually major differences between the two. This paper will compare and contrast these two remarkable explorers. The focus will be on the ideas and circumstances that influenced their actions, and their importance in shaping history.
The Exploration Era was a time period when countries and people made journeys overseas to find “the New World.” With the help of the printing press, the discoveries of the Americas were known globally making people curious to explore it themselves. In the map “Distribution of Columbus’ Letter” (Document D), it shows where the letter was published and where it was translated to different. This is due to the printing press. Along with the many documents, the news of Christopher Columbus’ discoveries of “India” or the New World had sparked the curiosity of people all over the world. People became more interested in geography and seeing what’s out there along with the different resources. The New World discovery opened up a new trade route and different trade items. This would create pros and cons like economic growth and slavery. In addition the exploration of the Europeans helped us gain knowledge and get a picture of the Americas. In the “Henricus Martellus’ World Map, 1489” (Document E), it shows the world as they knew it with Europe, Africa, and Asia. The “Martin Waldseemuller's World Map, 1507” was an updated, more correct version of the world we see today. Waldseemuller’s map includes the Americas and was much bigger than Martellus’. The printing press had helped Waldseemuller use this new knowledge to create a map that would depict something
Like the Arabs, the Europeans sometimes let their religion come between them and the truth. The best example of this is what Boorstin refers to as the “Great Interruption,” a time in the Middle Ages where theological, rather than geographical, accuracy was prioritized in mapmaking. Rather than continuing the work of Ptolemy and refining his rectangular coordinate system, cartographers “spent their energies embroidering a neat, theologically appealing picture of what was already known, or was supposed to be known.” (Boorstin, 100) Maps depicted the world as a circular disc divided into three parts, the three parts being the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe, separated by a T-shaped flow of water. Jerusalem was always in the center of the maps; the justification came from a verse in Ezekiel saying that God had placed Jerusalem in the midst of the nations, which was interpreted literally. Allowing Christian dogma to determine the shape of the earth was a major failing in Boorstin’s eyes; nevertheless, the episode was only an “interruption,” and Europe eventually resumed discovery. Firstly, Boorstin credits the west for the modern clock and calendar. Although earlier versions of clocks from other parts of the world are mentioned, the author focuses primarily on the contributions of westerners to its development. When missionary
The article “Navigating the Age of Exploration” by Ted Widmer explains how people view American history with only the assumptions pertaining to the present boundaries of the United States instead of seeing the world as explorers did during the Age of Exploration and expanding our boundaries to understand America’s history more fully. Widmer points out that many teachers of American history don’t teach a full continental perspective extending beyond American borders, which doesn’t give credit to the various cultures that contributed to the foundation of the United States. Today, people know little about the contributions of explorers during the Age of Exploration, and their impacts on America. During the Age of Exploration, the Europeans created
Marco attained many eastern technologies and introduced these innovations to Europeans. Marco Polo brought back a navigation device that was developed by the Chinese called a compass. This allowed the European to go navigate the world and explore in a more efficient way. Marco Polo also brought back “paper, paper currency, porcelain, raw silk, ivory, jade, spices, and noodles” (Historpedia). The most progressive innovation Marco Polo brought back was paper. With this technology, the Europeans developed a printing press. With paper money, people did not have to bring a large amount of coins with them.
During the 15th century, the Chinese had one of the most advanced naval fleets known to man. As a result, China was able to establish many trade routes to places such as Africa, India, Singapore, etc… If the Chinese wanted to, they could have sailed all the way to Europe and even as far as North America. However, the Chinese ran into some political problems that prevented explorations in the future. If they had continued their voyages, it would have been possible for them to have discovered the New World before Columbus. Had China discovered America before Columbus, our world would be different from what it is today.
Political factors in the 18th century involving the Islamic conquest of Spain, France, North Africa and parts of the Mediterranean, successfully hindered European expedition to the Far East for succeeding centuries. This made many early explorers like Christopher Columbus and Vasco de Gama look for new trade path to the East. Ocean expeditions were very treacherous at this time. The weather could not be predicted, the navigation techniques were still primarily ancient and maps were scandalously unre...
Heavenly navigation techniques, that are used in the site of sun and stars in the sky, along with knowing that the earth is a spherical, which astronomers used as a beginning to be executed by sailors that was in Columbus time.
for the sole reason that they aren’t as well educated about European life. For example in John Smith’s tale, The General History of Virginia, when he says that he gave King Pamunkee a compass and that he and his people “ marveled at the playing of the fly and needle, which they could see so plainly and yet not touch because of the glass that covered them,” but then when Smith “demonstrated by that globe-like jewel the roundness of the earth and skies, the sphere of the sun, moon ,stars, and how the sun did chase the night round about the world continually, the greatness of the land and sea, the diversity of nations, variety of complexions, and how we were to them antipodes and many other such like matters, they all stood as amazed with admiration.” This quote shows just how much the Natives didn’t really know about the sciences of the world like the Europeans did, but they were fascinated by it and wanted to learn. Another example is in The Narrative Of his journey, by Alvar Núñez Cabeza De Vaca, when he recalls that he helped the Native Americans “to understand by signs that our boat had sunk and three of our number had been drowned... The Indians, at site of what had befallen us, and our state of suffering and melancholy destitution, sat down among us, and from the sorrow and pity they felt, they all began to lament so earnestly that they might have been heard at a distance" This shows
The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt began to develop circa 3,000 B.C. Located near rivers, the lands offered fertile soil and an excess of crops that drew in many people. As more people arrived, the small settlements flourished into large, thriving civilizations. Many aspects of Mesopotamia and Egypt, such as their cities, their strongly organized government, and their religion, greatly contributed to the success of these two civilizations.
How did technology help the Europeans discover the Americas? One of the devices they used was called an Astrolabe. An astrolabe is a device used by ships to tell the location by the stars. Another device used by the Europeans is a compass, as well as a rudder all helped the Europeans with their discovery of the Americas. The technology help the europeans discover because they use technology that was better than the old. Whoever has the best technology wins. Henry the navigator founded a school of navigation. Even though Henry founded a school of navigation, he never actually sailed.
Henry Hudson’s Dutch-sponsored voyage of 1609, which was trying to find a “Northwest passage to China” , revealed that it was possible to navigate farther inland. His men, like later visitors, noted the area’s climate and agricultural productivity were favorable for settlement. Robert Juet, one of Hudson’s seamen, found the land
First of all, explorers of the early times used mean tools to navigate through the world. Beside that they also discovered unknown places by those tools of navigation and they used the accurate enough to bring them to new places. Referring to Olivia Isil, on her article “Navigation and Related Instruments in 16th-Century England” she argues that: “Beginning at a known or assumed position, the navigator measured, as best he could, the heading and speed of the ship, the speeds of the ocean currents and the leeward (downwind) drift of the ship, and the time spent on each heading” (Isil p. 1). Therefore, by having those information we can infer that mean tools such are compass, stars, and their own written maps; for instance, those were used at their most to bring results to the explorers. Even though they were primitive tools they led room to develop something better to become more accurate than ever. Moreover, people saw the need to bring something that would have included most of the world so they could naviga...
II to have a safer and easier life and to be able to do without a compass if necessary
Europe's Age of Discovery changed world and paved the way for the modern world as we know it. Explorers traveled the seas, discovering new places and routes for trade and travel making daring journeys out across the seas and then navigating their way back home to report on their discoveries. This paper will discuss will discuss the discovery of these new places and the tools that made those discoveries possible as well as give some background on those tools and how they function. Finally it will be explained how those tools made it possible for explorers to return from their adventures on the seas and how that was a necessary component to the Age of Discovery. Overall this paper will argue that the invention of the Astrolabe and Compass in