Correct Option: C

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India. After decades of sailors trying to reach India with thousands of lives and dozens of vessels lost in shipwrecks and attacks, Gama landed in Calicut on the 20 May, 1498. This discovery was very impactful and paved the way for the Portuguese to establish a long lasting colonial empire in Asia.