In which John Green teaches you about the beginning of the so-called Age of Discovery. You've probably heard of Christopher Columbus, who "discovered" America in 1492, but what about Vasco da Gama? How about Zheng He? Columbus gets a bad rap from many modern historians, but it turns out he was pretty important as far as the history of the world goes. That said, he wasn't the only pioneer plying the seas in the 1400s. In Portugal, Vasco da Gama was busy integrating Europe into the Indian Ocean Trade by sailing around Africa. Chinese admiral Zheng He was also traveling far and wide in the largest wooden ships ever built. Columbus, whether portrayed as hero or villain, is usually credited as the great sailor of the 15th century, but he definitely wasn't the only contender. What better way to settle this question than with a knock-down, drag-out, no holds barred, old-fashioned battle royal? We were going to make it a cage match, but welding is EXPENSIVE.

Resources:

The Age of Reconnaissance by JH Parry - An explanation of the technologies that made these voyages possible, and a nice detailed record of many of the important voyages. dft.ba/-discovery

When China Ruled the Sea by Louise Levathes: A history of the Ming dynasty's ventures into maritime exploration. dft.ba/-zhenghedragon

Unknown Seas by Ronald Watkins: A highly readable account of Vasco da Gama's introduction of europe into the Indian Ocean trade. dft.ba/-vasco

Crash Course World History is now available on DVD! store.dftba.com/products/crashcourse-world-history-the-complete-series-dvd-set

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1. The Agricultural Revolution
2. Indus Valley Civilization
3. Mesopotamia
4. Ancient Egypt
5. The Persians & Greeks
6. Buddha and Ashoka
7. ‎2,000 Years of Chinese History! The Mandate of Heaven and Confucius
8. Alexander the Great and the Situation... the Great?
9. The Silk Road and Ancient Trad
10. The Roman Empire. Or Republic. Or...Which Was It?
11. Christianity from Judaism to Constantine
12. Fall of The Roman Empire...in the 15th Century
13. Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars All Without a Flamewar
14. The Dark Ages...How Dark Were They, Really?
15. The Crusades - Pilgrimage or Holy War?
16. Mansa Musa and Islam in Africa
17. Wait For It...The Mongols!
18. Int'l Commerce, Snorkeling Camels, and The Indian Ocean Trade
19. Venice and the Ottoman Empire
20. Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols
21. Columbus, de Gama, and Zheng He! 15th Century Mariners.
22. The Renaissance: Was it a Thing?
23. The Columbian Exchange
24. The Atlantic Slave Trade
25. The Spanish Empire, Silver, & Runaway Inflation
26. The Seven Years War
27. The Amazing Life and Strange Death of Captain Cook
28. Tea, Taxes, and The American Revolution
29. The French Revolution
30. Haitian Revolutions
31. Latin American Revolutions
32. Coal, Steam, and The Industrial Revolution
33. Capitalism and Socialism
34. Samurai, Daimyo, Matthew Perry, and Nationalism
35. Imperialism
36. Archdukes, Cynicism, and World War I
37. Communists, Nationalists, and China's Revolutions
38. World War II
39. USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War
40. Decolonization and Nationalism Triumphant
41. Globalization I - The Upside
42. Globalization II - Good or Bad?
43. Rethinking Civilization
44. Money & Debt
45. Disease
46. War & Human Nature
47. War and Civilization
48. Climate Change, Chaos, and The Little Ice Age
49. Humans and Energy
50. Drought and Famine
51. HOW World War I Started
52. Who Started World War I
53. The End of Civilization (In the Bronze Age)
54. The Rise of the West and Historical Methodology
55. Asian Responses to Imperialism
56. The Railroad Journey and the Industrial Revolution
57. Population, Sustainability, and Malthus
58. Islam and Politics
59. The Mughal Empire and Historical Reputation
60. Luther and the Protestant Reformation
61. Charles V and the Holy Roman Empire
62. World War II, A War for Resources
63. Congo and Africa's World War
64. Water and Classical Civilizations
65. Conflict in Israel and Palestine
66. The Vikings!
67. War and Nation Building in Latin America
68. Iran's Revolutions
69. Japan in the Heian Period and Cultural History
70. Nonviolence and Peace Movements
71. Capitalism and the Dutch East India Company
72. Democracy, Authoritarian Capitalism, and China

In this Crash Course series, John Green returns to teaching World History in his own quirky way from beginning to end. This crash course should cover most topics from an AP World History class or similar.