Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama departs on July 8, 1497 on his voyage to find a sea route to India. He set sail from Lisbon with four ships and a crew of 170 men, eventually rounding the Cape of Good Hope and reaching Calicut, India, on May 20, 1498, opening a direct maritime route from Europe to the East by circumnavigating Africa.
His fleet carried three interpreters (two Arabic speakers and one who spoke several Bantu dialects). It also carried padraos, (stone pillars) to set up as marks of discovery. He eventually rounded the Cape of Good Hope on November 22 and three days later da Gama anchored in Mossel Bay and erected a padrão on an island. His trip ultimately opened a sea route from western Europe to Asia by way of the Cape of Good Hope, ushering in a new era in world history.
