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WANTED: Brave Explorers
Welcome back to Europe in the 15th Century. A time when superstition and religious belief dominated the population's views. It was a time of knowledge and enlightenment but most importantly it was a time of expansion. All the major European powers of that era were constantly sending out exploration teams to find and discover new lands. These lands were claimed by the explorers for their home country and were either settled or plundered for their riches and resources. To be an explorer at that time in history required great bravery as it was a very dangerous job. Everybody believed that the world was flat and that if you sailed too far, you would sail off the edge of the world and be eaten by the sea monsters that lurk there.
We know today that the world is round but back in the 15th Century they didn't have the scientific know how or equipment to truly investigate the shape of the Earth. The only way you could prove the world was round was if you kept sailing in one direction and ended up back where you started. In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed east from Spain and finally reached the Americas. When he returned safely the notion of a flat Earth was thrown into disarray. In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan, set off from Spain to be the first person to circumnavigate the world. He was killed during the voyage but his ship returned to Spain in 1521 having been the first vessel to travel around the world. For more information about Columbus and Magellan, visit the RESOURCE PAGE This WEBQUEST invites you to step back in time before these two epic journeys and join an exploration adventure of global proportions. Pull on your raincoat and check the weather because you are about to undertake a journey that will see you circle the Earth and prove to everyone that it is round.
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