Bartolomeu Dias
Birthplace	Algarve, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	Tuesday, May 29, 1500
Nationality	Portuguese
Occupation	Navigator and Explorer
Known for	First European to sail around the southernmost tip of Africa.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Dias, Bartolomeu

(Bartolomeu Dias [Diaz] de Novaes). Born circa 1450; died May 29, 1500. Portuguese navigator.

In 1487, as the head of an expedition to find a sea route to India, Dias explored the southwestern seacoast of Africa from 22° to 33° S lat. He was the first European to round the southern tip of Africa. Having traveled along the southern shore of Africa as far as Algoa Bay, Dias was compelled to return to Portugal by the ship’s crew. On the return voyage he discovered the Cape of Good Hope (1488). In 1500 he took part in the expedition of P. A. Cabral and perished en route, not far from the Cape of Good Hope.

REFERENCES

Hart, H. Morskoi put’ v Indiiu. Moscow, 1959. (Translated from English.)
Hönnig, R. Nevedomye zemli, vol. 4. Moscow, 1963. (Translated from German.)

Mentioned in

Geographic Discoveries

References in periodicals archive

Of course, there is no doubt that some well-known captains were navigators, meaning that they were technically able, as in the case of Gil Eanes, Diogo Gomes and Bartolomeu Dias, and that others were known of as pilots.

The very significant technical achievements of the Portuguese navigations at that time should be credited to those anonymous and unknown pilots who were in fact in charge of navigation, with few verifiable exceptions such as Gil Eanes, Diogo Gomes or Bartolomeu Dias. (23)

Vasco da Gama's voyage: myths and realities in maritime history

Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias becomes the first European to reach the Indian Ocean by sailing around Africa.

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Quiz of the Day

After correcting his mistake, he was punished by ostracism (although he might have lived to learn that Bartolomeu Dias would finally round the Cape in 1488).

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1487: Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias sails around the southern tip of Africa and into the Indian Ocean.

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