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Bartholomeau Dias [|Bartholomeau Dias] was a Portuguese explorer who was born in 1457. He was born to a wealthy family and because of this, he was well educated. It is believed that he came from a family of explorers, including a man named Joao Dias, who sailed around Cape Bojador in 1434. Dias was a member of the Portuguese court and he held the title of Sailing Master of the Portuguese man-of-war Sao Cristovao.

In 1481, he joined a group to explore the Gold Coast of Africa. After ten months of preparation, he left the port of Lisbon with two ships and many supplies to start his voyage to Asia. His brother, Pedro, commanded the second ship that held the supplies. He was the first European explorer to lead an expedition around the [|Cape of Good Hope] located on the Southernmost tip of Africa. He was the first man to round the Cape of Good Hope, which was trecherous due to rough seas and storms. This voyage proved that it was possible to reach Asia by water, and allowed merchants to get to Asia without fear of being attacked on land by the Turks. He died at sea on May 29, 1500.

[|Leon Battista Alberti] - [|Palazzo Rucellai] Palazzo Rucellai was built by Leon Battista Alberti between 1446 and 1451. It was built to be a palace for a wealthy family of merchants. It was one of the first buildings to use renaissance architecture styles that were based on having [|pilasters] and [|entablatures] in proportion to one another. The large and heavy stones create an impression of strength and power. Each of the floors were used for different purposes. The windows on the bottom floor are not very ornate because it was primarily used as a store room. There was also a fourth floor with almost no windows that was hidden under the roof. This floor was used as a room for servants. Palazzo Rucellai represents humanism in multiple ways. For example, when he was building it, Leon Battista Alberti was influenced by the architectural styles of the ancient Roman civilization, which was a key part of the humanist movement. He was especially influenced by the famous Roman colosseum. The three main stories of the building have different [|classical orders], like the colosseum. Also, it incorporates arches that were popular during the ancient Roman times. Not only was the building itself an example of humanism, but the architect, Leon Battista Alberti was a famous humanist because he was an author, artist, architect, playwright, and philosopher.

=Benito Mussolini =

= = Benito Mussolini was a [|fascist] dictator of Italy. He centralized all power in himself as the leader and founder of the Fascist party. He wished to create an Italian empire, which would then result in alliance with [|Hitler]'s Germany. At first the Liberals in parliament supported him, and with their help he introduced strict censorship and altered the methods of election so that in 1925-1926 he was able to assume dictatorial powers and dissolve all other political parties. He used his absolute control over the press to create propaganda that was so good there was only little opposition. Under his dictatorship, the parliamentary system was almost completely abolished. He first believed in pacifism and anti-imperialism, but then his views were almost completely reversed to support an extremely [|aggressive nationalism]. He attacked multiple countries aggressively and was forced to withdraw from the league of nations. He made all teachers in schools and universities swear an oath to defend the fascist regime. Newspaper editors were all personally chosen by Mussolini and no one who did not possess a certificate of approval from the fascist party could practice journalism. These certificates were issued in secret, which is how Mussolini created the illusion of a "free press". He dreamed of making Italy a nation that was "great, feared and respected" throughout all of Europe.