He was an Italian explorer who found out there was land to the west. In total he made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain. He was determined to find a direct passage from Europe to Asia, but he never made it that far, he instead found a land that hadn´t yet been discovered by people from the east. There already lived millions of people in America but his journey marked the beginning of centuries of exploration and colonization of north and south America.
Early life
Columbus was the son of a wool merchant, he is believed to be born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. When he was young, he got a job on a merchant ship, he stayed at sea until 1476 when he was attacked by a ship of pirates, Sailing by the Portuguese coast. The ship sank but Columbus floated to shore on just a bit of wood, hen then made his way to Lisbon, where he began to study mathematics and astronomy, cartography, and navigation. He also laid a plan that would change the world for ever.
The voyage that started it all.
The reason he sought out to find a water passage to Asia, was because it was nearly impossible to reach Asia from Europe by land the route was too long and difficult, and you would encounter hostile armies on numerous occasions. The Portuguese solved this by the sea, they sailed along the West African coast and around the Cape of good hope. But Columbus had a different idea why sail through all that up and downs side to side, why not just sail straight to Asia. He presented the plan to English and Portuguese officials but none of them wanted anything to do with it. But the Spaniards Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile wanted a piece. They all wanted fame and fortune, and the opportunity to export their beliefs across the globe. They sailed on the 3rd of august 1492, they assumed they made landfall in the East Indies but instead It was the Bahamian islands, for months they sailed from island to island. They looked for valuable items to bring back to Spain and build a settlement they called “The Hispaniola Settlement”. They didn’t find anything of value and went back to Spain.
Det er gratis at oprette en konto