<Tr> <Th> Occupation </Th> <Td> Navigator and explorer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Known for </Th> <Td> First European to sail around the southernmost tip of Africa . </Td> </Tr> <P> Bartolomeu Dias (Portuguese pronunciation: (baɾtuluˈmew ˈdi. ɐʃ); Anglicized: Bartholomew Diaz; c. 1451--29 May 1500), a nobleman of the Portuguese royal household, was a Portuguese explorer . He sailed around the southernmost tip of Africa in 1488, reaching the Indian Ocean from the Atlantic, the first European known to have done so . </P> <P> Bartolomeu Dias was a Knight of the royal court, superintendent of the royal warehouses, and sailing - master of the man - of - war, São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher). King John II of Portugal appointed him, on October 10, 1486, to head an expedition to sail around the southern tip of Africa in the hope of finding a trade route to India . Dias was also charged with searching for the lands ruled by Prester John, who was a fabled Christian priest and ruler . He left 10 months later in August 1487 . </P>

Who was the first european to sail around the southern tip of africa