![]() ![]() Read More Who Discovered the Americas? 4. He also successfully reached the coasts of Central America and South America, and explored Cuba, Haiti and The Dominican Republic in his search for Asia. Columbus Day celebrates the day that Columbus touched down in the Bahamas. This is untrue, as the United States was populated by millions of Indigenous Peoples at the time of Columbus' voyage, but a lesser known fact is that Columbus never actually stood on United States soil. One popular myth is that Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. Christopher Columbus landing in the New World, 1492 ![]() Columbus made his first voyage in 1492, and made three other living journies to the Americas later in his life. There are other Europeans (particularly Celts) who may have crossed the Atlantic prior to Eriksson's voyage as well. Eriksson is believed to have discovered what is now known as Newfoundland nearly five centuries before Columbus' first journey. ![]() Though he made four voyages to the Americas during his life (and his remains made many trips also, as we'll learn later on), the first European to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean is actually credited to have been Leif Eriksson, who was a Norse Viking. Map with the voyages of famous explorer Leif Erikson He wasn't the first European to cross the Atlantic. The name "Columbo" might even have been a name he chose to use after hearing of a pirate with the same name. But those aren't the only alternative names he was thought to have gone by! In fact, he also used the names "Christoual", "Christovam", "Christofferus de Columbo" and "Xpoual de Colòn" during the course of his life. In Spain, he is referred to as Cristòbal Colòn. This was thought to be the name given to him at birth. In Italy, he is known as Cristoforo Colombo. The man we know in English-speaking countries as Christopher Columbus is known by different names in his country of origin and in the country in which he died. The Landing of Columbus, October 11, 1492, painting by Currier & Ives, 1846 While Columbus obtained great wealth from his expeditions, he became an outcast and died of age-related causes on in Valladolid, Spain.Read More Christopher Columbus 1. Columbus Day is a national holiday in the United States, but due to inhumane actions taken by the European powers who came in waves to the Americas, several states have replaced the holiday with Indigenous People's Day to honor the original inhabitants of these lands.Ĭolumbus also continued to believe that he had found a route to Asia, despite the increasing evidence that proved otherwise-a denial that would severely tarnish his reputation. Columbus’s participation in such brutality eventually led to his arrest and caused him to lose favor with the Spanish monarchy. While this opened up economic and political opportunities for European powers, the colonization of the New World led to the exploitation of its indigenous peoples, often violently and eventually with disastrous results for many cultures. The exact location of Vinland is debated among scholars, but it is generally agreed it was somewhere along the northern Atlantic coast.Ĭolumbus may not have discovered the Americas, but it was his arrival-and subsquent three additional voyages over the next twelve years-that shephereded in an era of exploration and colonization of North and South America. There is also the saga of Leif Eriksson's voyage to Vinland-the mysterious spot on which he landed in North America. Even before he set sail from Spain, thousands of people were already living on these lands for centuries. While it has been commonly said that Columbus discovered the Americas, that is not accurate. The fleet also came across other Caribbean islands on this expedition, including modern-day Cuba and Haiti, which Columbus believed were the Indies. After more than two months of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, the fleet spotted what would eventually be known as the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. In August 1492, Columbus’s expedition set sail with three ships: the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María. Proponents of the Catholic Church, the monarchy also hoped the voyage would help spread Christianity into the East. The monarchy considered Columbus’s expedition as an opportunity to expand Spain’s trading network into the Indies’ lucrative economy. He persuaded King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I to sponsor his quest to find a westward route to China, India, and Japan-lands then known as the Indies. Christopher Columbus was a 15th and 16th century explorer credited for connecting the Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia) and the New World (North America and South America).īorn in Genoa, Italy, in 1451, Columbus made his way to Spain, where he gained support from the Spanish monarchy. ![]()
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