Brief history of Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro was discovered on January 1, 1502. The Portuguese and Spanish always placed the names of the places discovered according to the saints of the day. Ex: San Vicente, San Jose, San Frascico.
As on January 1st there is no saint, it is the day of the circumcision of Christ, they preferred to put the name January instead of River of Circumcision.

It is worth mentioning that in the expedition of the discovery of Rio de Janeiro was present the cartographer Americo Vespucio, who was drawing the map of America. Continent that later received its name.

But the first to found a colony in Rio de Janeiro were the French. The French commander Villegagnon founded the colony France Antartica.

In 1565 there was a great battle between the French and the Indians of the Tamoio tribe, who were allies of the French, against the Portuguese.
The Portuguese left the winners. A few centuries later the French tried to regain Rio de Janeiro but failed.

In 1809, the King of Portugal, Don Joao VI, fleeing from Napoleon, who had invaded Portugal, hid in Rio de Janeiro. It transformed the city of the Portuguese colony into capital of the Portuguese empire.

In those years when Don Joao VI was in Rio de Janeiro there was a huge economic and social advance in the city.

Curiosities:
The people who are born in Rio de Janeiro are called Cariocas because the Indians find strange the Portuguese houses made of stones. For the Indians had a house of straw and woods. They called the inhabitants of this house "carioca". Cari = white and Oca = house, in the indigenous language. Translating house in white!

Soon I will tell more history of the city of Rio de Janeiro
(Sorry, but I use google translator)