Christopher Columbus

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Columbus links here. For the U.S. state capital, see Columbus, Ohio.

Christopher Columbus was a trader and explorer. He was born in 1451 and died May 20, 1506 in Valladolid. He was once called the first European to find America, though it is known now that the Vikings did this earlier.

Columbus sailed the Atlantic Ocean because he was hoping to find a shorter, safer way to China and India. He wanted to bring back spices and gold for the King and Queen of Spain: Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. He knew that the world was round but he did not know how big it was. He had heard that Marco Polo had found a sea to the east of China and he believed that it must be the same as sea to the west of Europe. He did not really know about the Pacific Ocean and The Americas, and that the Atlantic Ocean did not go all the way to China.

When he found some islands at the end of his voyage, he thought he had reached the East Indies. That is why he called the people living there "Indians". In all, he made four voyages to America. Colombia is also named after him.

[change] Origins of Christopher Columbus

There is disagreement on where Columbus came from. A lot of people think that he was born in Genoa. Experts have studied clues to Columbus' birthplace, but no final answer has been found.