Travelers of great geographical discoveries ...Whoever reads about the brave wanderers of the Middle Ages who tried to open more profitable trade routes or perpetuate their name, is delighted with how it happened. The enthusiastic lovers of the sea feel the smell of sea water and see before them the open sails of frigates. What is most astonishing is how great travelers could survive their adventures in reality, exhibiting so much perseverance and resourcefulness. Thanks to them, the world learned about new lands and oceans.
It is a pity that in fact the greattravelers could not always feel the taste of romance: their ships were wrecked, and the whole team could get sick of unprecedented in those times illness. The seamen, who ventured to new discoveries, had to endure hardships, they were often overtaken by death. It is not surprising that today many admire their courage and determination! Anyway, thanks to some of the travelers, new continents were discovered, and some of them made an invaluable contribution to world geography. With the help of historical documents that contain eyewitness accounts or notes from ship logs, we can have plausible information about their travels. However, it is very unfortunate that great geographic travelers rarely achieved what they wanted.
It's about a man who has spent his entire lifedreamed of going on a long voyage. Like any other who turned out to be in his place, he understood that he could not do without financial support, and it was not so easy to find it from rich and not willing to share his finances with monarchs. Where did the desperate traveler want to go? He wished with all his heart to find the shortest western route to India, which at that time was famous for its spices valued in weight of gold.
Trying to prove his case, Columbus continuedrepeatedly come to the Spanish king and queen for a long eight years. It is worth noting that in his plan there were many flaws. Despite the fact that the scientists were already convinced of the spherical shape of the Earth, the question was which strip of the world ocean separates Europe from Asia. As it later turned out, Christopher made two gross mistakes. First, he assumed that the territory of Asia occupies a much larger area than it was and is in fact. Secondly, for a quarter of Columbus underestimated the size of our planet.
Whatever it was, "knock and open to you":the expedition was approved, three ships were equipped for sailing. Enterprising Spanish monarchs craved not only profitable trade routes - they were pleased with the very idea of turning eastern countries into Catholicism. And on August 3, 1492, about 90 people went on a long voyage. They swam a lot of nautical miles, but the rich lands did not appear on the horizon. Columbus constantly had to calm down his team, sometimes even belittling the real distance traveled in a prolonged journey. And finally, as it might seem, they have achieved their goal! Where did our tireless explorers get?
The land that his team reached wasThe Bahamas. There, there and then, naked natives met, and the tropical climate had a rest. But in any case it was not at all what the great travelers set out for, leaving their homes and families. After a two-week rest, the seafarers went further and reached Cuba. Columbus could not calm down because he could not find any spices or gold.
Further, the odyssey continued to the east, wheretreasured gold was discovered. This happened on the island, to which Columbus gave the name La Isla Espanola (now Hispaniola). Christopher Columbus already dreamed of how these lands will be subordinated to the Spanish crown. He was waiting for his return home and great honors, as well as another trip.
The following year, together with Columbus wentan entire armada, consisting of 17 ships and more than 1200 people. Among the people there were many soldiers and priests. The Spaniards wanted to turn new lands into colonies, and make residents Catholics. Columbus still wanted to reach the shores of India.
Two subsequent voyages to eastern India onlyonly slightly increased the happiness of the seafarer. Be that as it may, the sea routes that were designated by him contributed to the colonization of the whole continent - North America. Thanks to his achievements, the world turned upside down.
Vasco da Gama lived a little earlier than Columbus, and alreadyopened the way to India, skirting Africa. Preparations for his long journey began long before he was born - how did this case differ from what was happening to Columbus! Portuguese monarchs understood the importance of trade in spices. Manuel I, king of Portugal, believed that only the man who, as one historian put it, "would combine the courage of a soldier with the craftiness of a merchant and the tactfulness of a diplomat can become the head of an expedition." According to the king, it was Vasco da Gama that suited this role.
By natural skills and enterprise thisthe man was very different from Columbus - he knew his business well, he understood where and why he was swimming. The first expedition, although it was connected with certain difficulties, ended in success - Vasco da Gama concluded a peaceful relationship and an agreement with the Indian ruler on the sale of spices. The delighted King of Portugal immediately ordered the organization of subsequent expeditions. Thus, thanks to this courageous man, a new sea route was opened from Europe to Asia.
For many centuries there lived different people,which have achieved a great deal in natural science and geography. If we talk about the achievements of our compatriots, the first great Russian traveler, who immediately remembers, is Nikolai Miklukho-Maklai. Although his achievements, of course, do not put on a par with the merits of Christopher Columbus, James Cook, Vasco da Gama or Amerigo Vespucci. Particularly interesting is his conclusion that the cultural and racial features and differences of peoples are conditioned by the natural and social environment.
Among other Russian travelers whomade some contribution to the development of geography, you can name Fedor Konyukhov, Yuri Sienkiewicz, Ivan Papanin, Nikolai Przhevalsky, Afanasiy Nikitin, Erofei Khabarov, Vitus Bering and many others. The life of each of them is a long journey full of saturated events.
A question may arise:where do people have such an acute need for something uncharted and distant? The fact is that from the very childhood in man the need to recognize the surrounding world, to investigate it, to find answers to the questions: "What is the meaning of life? What do we do on our planet?" All of us are in fact in the soul - "great" travelers and pioneers. We are so arranged, we can even say, so created to constantly know the world around us. We are not accidentally on Earth and very different from animals, no matter how some of us try to prove that we have descended from our smaller brothers. Many people have written about the desire of a person to learn about the world from childhood. One of such stories was written by M. Zoshchenko - "Great travelers". Next I would like to briefly tell what kind of book it is.
In every person, an adult or achild, lives his Columbus or Vasco da Gama. Since childhood we can observe how the child wants to know the world around him. Zoshchenko's story "The Great Travelers" tells of three children who gathered in a distant voyage around the world. They took many different things that were very difficult to carry, and which eventually turned into unnecessary trash. This short, instructive tale teaches children that for great achievements knowledge is needed. Zoshchenko's story "Great travelers" is a masterpiece in miniature.
As we see, in each of us there is a huge tractionto the unknown - whether you are a great Russian traveler or an ordinary person. Everyone is eager to find answers to the burning questions. Great travelers and their discoveries only prove this simple and very important truth. In the meantime, regardless of whether we cover long distances during our short life or not, each of us will begin and end his earthly journey full of adventures and length for a lifetime. The only question is: what will we discover during this journey and what will we leave behind?
