Christopher Columbus, Discoverer of The Americas

INDEPHEDIA.com - Christopher Columbus (Read: Kolumbus) is an explorer known for his findings, the Americas.

Columbus --as his name is known-- was born in Genova (now part of Italy) between August 22 and October 31, 1451.

Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid, Kingdom of Castile and León (now Spain) at the age of 54.

During his lifetime, this navigator was recorded as having made four voyages across the Atlantic.

His journey was carried out between 1492 and 1504 to find a route from Europe to Asia.

Christopher Columbus's First Explorations

After conquering Andalusia, Queen Isabella of Castile Spain financed Christopher Columbus' journey.

Queen Isabella believed that the Earth was in the shape of a small ball, and thought that a ship could reach the Far East via the western route.

From Queen's funding, Columbus made his first voyage with an accompanying crew.

In August 1492, Columbus and his crew set sail from Spain with three ships, namely the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria.

Columbus and crew's voyage crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached the American continent on October 12, 1492.

Columbus Was Not the First Person to Discover America

Even though he has already been called the discoverer of the Americas, it turns out that Columbus was not the first European to arrive in America.

Before the arrival of Columbus, in the 11th century AD it was mentioned that Leif Erikson, the leader of the Vikings had already arrived in Canada.

Noted, Leif Erikson was the first European to discover America around the 1000s.

On this continent, Leif Erikson founded the L'Anse aux Meadows colony in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Historical and archaeological evidence of the existence of the colony, in the form of the remains of Viking burials in the area, were discovered by Norwegian explorers in 1960. (SJ/IND)