Zheng He, a court eunuch and diplomat during China's Ming Dynasty, was chosen by Emperor Yongle to lead expeditions that would stretch across the seas. From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He commanded the largest wooden ships ever recorded, some reportedly measuring up to 400 feet long—far surpassing the size of Columbus’s Santa Maria. These fleets, consisting of hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of crew members, embarked on seven epic voyages that reached as far as the Swahili Coast of Africa. These