Elizabeth made England into a prosperous nation largely through the wool trade and the activities of the "privateers" who raided Spanish treasure ships. Elizabeth was a protestant and faced the might of catholic Spain which led to the invasion attempt of the Spanish Armada in 1588. This was defeated by the maneuverability of the English fleet and the bad weather combined. Spain continued to attempt invasion by first establishing a base in Ireland which led to many attempts, by the English, to subdue the Irish, by war and by plantations of the younger sons of English noblemen. There were several unsuccessful attempts to place colonies in the "New Found World". Her reign saw many improvements in the nation due to the translation and publication of many foreign books on scientific subjects. The first newspaper was published in London in the 1580's. Elizabeth ordered that an English translation of the Bible be placed in every church for all to read.