1. Cabo de Sao Vicente near Sagres is the most south-westerly point in Europe and was known as the End of the World to Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and everybody else in Europe until the 15th Century. The reason is because up until the invention of the caravel sailing ship, it was almost impossible to sail upwind. And since the prevailing winds around the cape are almost always southerly, anyone sailing past the cape had no assurance they’d ever come back. The invention of the caravel was a major factor in the great Age of Discovery in the 14th and 15th Centuries. It meant the Columbus had some hope of being able to return from his trips to the unknown. It must have taken incredible courage to set off on those trips with so little chance of success.
2. The word “ton” derives from the word tun, (tonne) or barrel. The barrel was the common storage container on early trading ships, and ships were described by the amount of barrels they could carry – 20 tonnes, 50 tonnes, etc.
"The last hotdog before America" at the Cape:
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