Astrolabe
The astrolabe was an instrument used for finding the altitude by looking where the stars were. The astrolabe impacted explorers so that they did not get lost.
Compass
The compass is an instrument built by the Chinese to find where magnetic north was. This had an impact so the explorers would know if they were going in the right direction.
New Ships
For the explorers to explore they needed one more thing other than the astrolabe and the compass. These explorers needed new ships. Ships made travel easier. These new ships had triangular shaped sails to make them zigzag in the wind.
Cartography
Cartography was the production of maps. Cartography had an impact on sailors because it helped them find out where they were around the area they were trying to get to.
The Fall of the Aztecs
The Aztecs were fierce warriors that sacrificed humans to please the gods. When Hernan Cortes came to Mesoamerica, the Aztecs thought that he could be their sun god, Quetzalcoatl; however, Cortes used this to his advantage and fought against the Aztecs twice. The first time, Cortes was not able to defeat them. The second time the empire was weakened due to smallpox and was wiped out.
The Fall of the Inca
The Inca were Native Americans that had a vast army. When Francisco Pizarro came into Inca territory, the Inca thought that he was crazy. Pizarro invited the Inca king, Atahualpa, to talk. Pizarro asked Atahualpa to give up his gods. Atahualpa laughed in his face. Pizarro attacked the Inca weaponless army and took Atahualpa hostage. Pizarro took him to the Spanish king and had him executed. Pizarro was promoted to governor of Peru where he decided who was Inca king. Pizarro now had all of the power.
Mercantilism
Mercantilism is the idea that a country gains power by compiling a large amount of gold and silver. Mercantilism led to more and better trade.
Joint-stock Companies
Joint-stock companies was a developed a business of commerce, or buying and selling goods in large amounts over long distances. This led to better trade profit.
Cottage Industry
The cottage industry is made of merchants that would buy wool from peasants at cottages. This made it easier for people to get things from peasants at a cheaper price and gave peasants extra money.
The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange was the global exchange of people, goods, technology, ideas, and diseases. This had an impact of getting people food that had never been there, goods and slaves went from America to Europe, animals changed people's lives, and diseases killed many Native Americans.