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Showing posts from January, 2015

Juan Ponce de Leon - The First European to Reach the USA

Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer and nobleman who also became the first Governor of Puerto Rico under the Spanish Empire. He was the first European to reach Florida (now in the USA), which was also the initial exploration of the mainland USA (area south of Canada and north of Mexico). Early Life Juan Ponce was born in 1474 in the now-Spanish province of Valladolid. During his youth, he took part in the fights against the Muslim rule of Granada for the re-conquest of Spain.  Juan Ponce de Leon Arrival in the Americas After the re-conquest of Spain in 1492, the chance of a military expedition in Spain ended for Juan Ponce. Then, he decided to go abroad to test his luck along with other people of that time. He joined Christopher Columbus for his second voyage to the new world in 1493 along with 1200 men. A fter visiting several islands, their fleet reached the final destination of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (now the  Dominican Republic and Haiti ).

Ancient Greek Philosophers - Their Role in Modern Philosophy

Ancient Greek Philosophy started in the 6 th Century BC and continued till the Ancient Greek period, which later vastly affected the Hellenistic period, Classical Islamic Philosophy, and European Renaissance. There are two main periods of Greek Philosophy. The first is pre-Socratic Philosophy,  while the other is Classical Greek Philosophy. Famous Greek Philosophers and their philosophies are mentioned below according to these two periods. Pre-Socratic Philosophers Pre-Socratic Philosophy is the Greek Philosophy before the famous Greek philosopher Socrates. These philosophers were the first ones who asked rational questions about things like the creation of this universe and the reality of everything while refusing the previous mythological definitions. They were also the pioneers of scientific and mathematical study by introducing paradoxes and problems. Thales (624-546 BC) was the first Greek philosopher, according to Aristotle. He was born in Miletus  on the western coa