Learn About The Age of Exploration

Sail with Columbus, Magellan, and da Gama as European powers mapped the globe — the technological innovations, colonial conquests, and world-changing exchanges that followed.

Ferdinand Magellan's expedition departed Spain on September 20, 1519, with 270 men and five ships, and returned three years later with just 18 survivors on one ship — completing the first circumnavigation of the globe, though Magellan himself was killed in the Philippines. The Columbian Exchange, a term coined by historian Alfred Crosby in 1972, describes the transfer of crops, animals, and diseases between hemispheres after 1492, with New World crops like potatoes and maize eventually feeding European population growth while Old World diseases killed an estimated 90% of indigenous Americans. Portugal's Prince Henry the Navigator, despite never sailing past Morocco himself, funded over 50 expeditions along the African coast between 1415 and 1460, developing the caravel ship and advancing navigational knowledge that enabled the Age of Exploration.

Superlore makes learning about The Age of Exploration effortless with AI-generated audio lessons. Listen during your commute, workout, or downtime — and absorb complex ideas at your own pace. Every lesson includes citations so you can dive deeper into the sources.