8 July: Vasco da Gama set sail

On this date in 1497 Vasco Da Gama, one of the most famous of the Portuguese explorers from the Age of Discovery, set sail to find a sea route to India. 10 things you might not know about him.

1. We're not sure if he was born in 1460 or 1469, but we do know he was born in Sines, on the southwest coast of Portugal, where his father Estêvão da Gama was the civil governor.
2. Before holding that job, Estêvão da Gama had been a knight and explorer himself.
3. In about 1480, Vasco da Gama followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Order of Santiago, which was presided over by Prince John, later King John II of Portugal. In 1492, King John sent da Gama on a mission to the port of Setúbal and the Algarve to seize French ships in retaliation for attacks on Portuguese shipping.
4. His first voyage to India took place in 1497-8. Portugal had its eye on the Indian coast for the expansion of its trading routes. Da Gama set sail with four ships around the coast of Africa. His expedition marked the first time Europeans to visit Mombasa, although they were not made very welcome and didn't stay long. They were also the first Europeans to visit India. The voyage is considered to be a milestone in world history - the beginning of a sea-based phase of global multiculturalism.
5. He stayed in India for several months, working on brokering trade deals. This included pretending to be a Muslim in order to get a meeting with a local sultan. The goods da Gama brought with him didn't impress the Indian rulers who demanded that he pay taxes to them in gold. Da Gama's response was to seize hostages instead of paying up.
6. He was eager to get home at this point, and set sail, ignoring the local knowledge about the monsoons. Hence his journey back took 132 days, compared to an outward journey of 23 days. Many of his crew contracted scurvy, and about half of them died. The fleet arrived in Africa in a sorry state. Da Gama scuttled one of his ships off Africa because he didn't have enough men left to crew them all. Nevertheless, the goods he brought back from India sold at such good prices the voyage still made a handsome profit. He'd opened up a trade route to India, and shown that East Africa was important to the trading armadas that would follow as the ports there were vital stops to stock up on provisions and carry out repairs. A direct result of da Gama's exploration was the Portuguese colonisation of Mozambique.
7. Like many explorers in history who are generally regarded as heroes, da Gama was more than capable of behaving like an asshole. On his way to India he looted unarmed merchant ships off the coast of Kenya. On his second trip he massacred a ship carrying pilgrims on their way to Mecca. He refused to spare any of them, not even the women and children, despite pleas for mercy and the offer of all their wealth in exchange for their lives. He watched women holding up their babies and their jewels and begging to be spared, and torched the ship anyway.
8. Vasco da Gama married Catarina de Ataíde, and they had six sons and one daughter.
9. Two of his sons were with him when he set sail on his third voyage to India. He'd been appointed the Portuguese viceroy in India, but died before he could take the post up, possibly from malaria, possibly from pneumonia, or possibly from sheer overwork. He was buried in a casket decorated with Gold and jewels.
10. There is a city in India named after him, also several ships, a Brazilian Football team, several places in Lisbon and a crater on the Moon.