Cornelis de Houtman

Cornelis de Houtman was a Dutch merchant seaman who commanded the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies. Although the voyage was difficult and yielded only a modest profit, Houtman showed that the Portuguese monopoly on the spice trade was vulnerable. A flurry of Dutch trading voyages followed, eventually leading to the displacement of the Portuguese and the establishment of a Dutch monopoly on spice trading in the East Indies.

2 April 1565

Born on the same birth day (2 April): 181 • Amr El Solia • André Onana • Booker Little • J. C. Squire • Michael Fassbender • Pascale Nadeau • Rodney King • Roshan Seth