1) 1492: Christopher Columbus discovers the Americas - Columbus, an Italian navigator, sets off on his voyage with three ships under the sponsorship of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. He arrives in the Bahamas, opening up the New World to European exploration and colonization.
2) 1497-1498: Vasco da Gama's journey to India - The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama leads a successful expedition around the Cape of Good Hope, becoming the first European to reach India by sea. This opens up trade routes to the Indian Ocean and establishes Portuguese dominance in the region.
3) 1519-1522: Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe - Although he died during the journey, Magellan's expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth. This voyage proved that the Earth was round and significantly expanded Europeans' understanding of the world.
4) 1531-1533: Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire - Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador, leads an expedition that results in the downfall of the Inca Empire in modern-day Peru. The conquest brings immense wealth to Spain and establishes Spanish dominance in South America.
5) 1577-1580: Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation and raiding of Spanish colonies - Drake, an English privateer, successfully navigates the Straits of Magellan and becomes the second person to circumnavigate the globe. He also conducts raids on Spanish colonies in the Americas, earning him a reputation as a pirate but also weakening Spanish power in the region.
Create a timeline that illustrates five of the influential European explorers during the age of discovery
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