At the end of the Middle Ages, sailors began setting out from Western Europe on long voyages to Africa, the Far East and later, the New World. In 1487 Portuguese sailors, after years of exploring the western coast of Africa, finally rounded its southern cape. In 1487, Vasco Da Gama started an expedition the purpose of which was to get to India by sailing around Africa. After six omonths of sailing, many of the sailors became very ill. After a short time they met up with a Moorish trading ship laden with oranges. Mircaulously, the sailors were healed after eating the oranges. Soon sailors started noticing that eating citrus fruits prevented the oncoming of the disease. By the 1700's British sailors began to bring loads of limes and other citrus fruits on board their ships, giving rise ot the nickname 'limeys.' Vitamin C itself was not discovered until the 1920's.