This fascinating program examines the important figures of this period, their motivations for exploring new lands, and their tragedies and successes. These pioneers include Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, who sponsored many voyages to Africa; Bartolomeu Dias, who discovered the southern cape of Africa; Christopher Columbus, who made four voyages to the Americas; Pedro Cabral, who claimed Brazil for Portugal; John Cabot, who set out to duplicate the journey of Columbus; Amerigo Vespucci, from whom America derives its name; Vasco da Gama, who opened a trade route to India; and Ferdinand Magellan, whose three-year journey took his ship and crew around the world, although he died without seeing the end of the journey.