Vasco da Gama

Standing near the banks of the Tagus River, where the world's longest ocean voyage began, you're at the exact spot where Vasco da Gama departed on a mission that would connect two continents for the first time. On July 8, 1497, this Portuguese explorer set sail from here with 170 men aboard four ships. His goal was to find a sea route to India, something Europeans had been attempting for nearly a century.

Every previous expedition had failed. Ten months later, after navigating unknown African waters and crossing 6,000 kilometers of open ocean, Da Gama reached Calicut, India on May 20, 1498. He became the first European to reach India by sea, finally achieving what seemed impossible. The journey around Africa's Cape of Good Hope was treacherous, with violent storms testing the crew's endurance.

The human cost was devastating. Only 55 men survived the return voyage. Many died from scurvy during the 132 day journey back across the Indian Ocean. But the expedition returned with spices worth 60 times the voyage's cost. This single journey broke the Arab monopoly on the spice trade and transformed Portugal into a global maritime power. The sea route Da Gama opened became the foundation of European trade with Asia for centuries.