In 1492, an explorer began sailing across the vast Atlantic Ocean. His goal was to find a shortcut to Asia by heading west across the large body of water.
Instead of finding the shortcut, this explorer landed on an island in the
Caribbean Sea. He had discovered a land that
Europeans didn't know about -
North and South America.
Which explorer is described in the passage above?
Ferdinand Magellan
Hernan Cortes
Cabeza de Vaca
Christopher Columbus

D. Christopher Columbus.

the captain of a steam ship naturally chooses the shortest route to his destination. since a sailing ship is usually pushed by winds and currents, its captain must find a route where the wind will probably blow in the right direction. tacking, i.e. using contrary wind to pull (sic) the sails, was always possible but wasted time because of the zigzagging required, and this would significantly delay long voyages. the early european explorers were not only looking for new lands. they also had to discover the pattern of winds and currents that would carry them where they wanted to go. during the age of sail winds and currents determined trade routes and therefore influenced european imperialism and modern political geography. for an outline to the main wind systems see global wind patterns.

pilotage or cabotage, in one sense, is the art of sailing along the coast using known landmarks. navigation, in one sense, is the art of sailing long distances out of sight of land.[1] although the polynesians were able to sail the pacific (with great difficulty) and people regularly sailed north and south across the mediterranean, before the time of columbus nearly all sailing was coastal pilotage

        it is some were in here? ///

answer: secession

secession, as it applies to the outbreak of the american civil war, comprises the series of events that began on december 20, 1860, and extended through june 8 of the next year when eleven states in the lower and upper south severed their ties with the union. the first seven seceding states of the lower south set up a provisional government at montgomery, alabama. after hostilities began at fort sumter in charleston harbor on april 12, 1861, the border states of virginia, arkansas, tennessee, and north carolina joined the new government, which then moved its capital to richmond, virginia. the union was thus divided approximately on geographic lines. twenty-one northern and border states retained the style and title of the united states, while the eleven slave states adopted the nomenclature of the confederate states of america.

explanation: