(1451–1506). Many historians see Christopher Columbus as the first significant European to visit and explore the Americas. Columbus was a master sailor and navigator. His ships reached the Americas in 1492. That arrival, a key historical event, launched the spread of European culture to the Western Hemisphere. It has also raised controversy because of the lasting impact it had on the cultures that Columbus encountered in the Americas.

Early life

Christopher Columbus was born Cristoforo Colombo in the port city of Genoa, Italy, in 1451. English-speaking peoples have since changed the Italian form of his name to Christopher Columbus. His father, Domenico Colombo, was a wool weaver and trader. As a boy, Columbus had little schooling. He and his younger brother, Bartholomeo (Bartholomew), helped their father by sorting out raw wool.

Preparations to sail

In about 1476 Columbus settled in Portugal, which was then a great seafaring nation. Columbus hoped to become a sea captain in Portugal's service. First, however, he had to educate himself. He learned Portuguese and Castilian, which was the official language of Spain. He also learned Latin so that he could read books on geography. At that time, scholarly books were generally written in Latin.

In 1479 Columbus married Felipa Perestrello, whose father had been a captain under Prince Henry of Portugal. She gave Columbus her father's collection of maps and documents. Her high social rank enabled Columbus to meet important officials. In 1481, he entered the service of King John II of Portugal.

Columbus started planning an expedition to discover a sea route to Asia. At that time, Europeans were eager for Asian goods. Unfortunately, these goods were scarce and costly because they were brought over a dangerous land route. Ships could carry more goods at lower cost. People thought that it would be possible to find a western sea route to Asia across the Atlantic and beyond. By Columbus's time, all educated people knew that the Earth was round and that Asia lay west of Europe. What was not known was how far away it was.

Columbus believed that he would reach Asia by sailing 3,000 miles (about 4,800 kilometers) west from Europe. Sailors' tales of lands seen in the Atlantic Ocean confirmed this idea. In 1484, he applied to King John II for ships and men. After his application was refused, Columbus went to Spain to find support.

In Spain, Columbus presented his plan to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Castille. In January 1492, they agreed to support the expedition. Three ships were provided for Columbus's trip: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María.

First voyage

At dawn on August 3, 1492, the ships set sail. Steady trade winds from the northeast drove them on their course due west. Columbus kept two records of the trip. One showed the distance he thought they had actually traveled. The other showed a much shorter distance. He showed the crew this false record to calm their fears at being so far from home. The false record was in fact more exact than the secret one. This was because Columbus's sailing instruments were crude.

For the most part, the passage was smooth. The sailors feared that they would be unable to sail back against the winds that had blown them west, however. When they sailed into the Sargasso Sea, an area of the North Atlantic Ocean, they found a thick growth of seaweeds that they feared would trap the ship. On October 8 and 9, the men were ready to rebel. Columbus agreed to turn back if land was not sighted within three days.

Later voyages

Columbus made three more trips to the New World. On his second voyage, from 1493 to 1496, he had 17 ships and about 1,300 men. At Hispaniola, Columbus found that La Navidad had been burned down and that the 39 sailors at the fort had been killed. He then started a new colony called Isabela. Columbus thereafter explored the coasts of what are now Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola.

On the third voyage, from 1498 to 1500, Columbus explored a stretch of the northeastern shore of South America and planted the Spanish flag in what is now Venezuela. Meanwhile, at Hispaniola, Spanish settlers complained about the way Columbus and his brother Bartholomew had managed the colony. Francisco de Bobadilla was sent from Spain to replace Columbus as governor of Hispaniola. He arrested Columbus and shipped him back in chains. The Spanish monarchs released him, however.

Columbus's fourth and last trip was from 1502 to 1504. He had been given only four ships and had been forbidden to go back to Hispaniola. He explored the east coast of Central America but lost two ships. The two remaining ships, in poor condition, had to be left on the beaches of Jamaica in June 1503. Messengers sent by canoe to Hispaniola finally brought rescue ships in June 1504.

Last years

Columbus returned to Spain in November 1504. On this return, he was not received at court. In the same year, his chief patron, Queen Isabella, died. The king refused to restore his titles. He was, however, far from poor. He had brought back gold, and he received a share of the gold mined at Hispaniola.

Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid, Spain, on May 20, 1506. Throughout his last years, he refused to admit that he had not reached Asia. Although Columbus was mistaken, and despite the controversy that surrounds him, he still ranks as a great discoverer. Few other navigators of his time would have dared to sail westward into the unknown.