Famous travelers Christopher Columbus. Discovery of America. Discovery of America: historical information

The biography of the life of Christopher Columbus is so eventful that one could write an interesting book. We will present a short version containing the basic facts of life as a traveler.

He was born into a poor Spanish family. Since childhood, I dreamed of being famous for my last name. Christopher discovered the western route along which America exports goods today. He is the discoverer of the Southern and North America. Columbia is named in his honor - it is a significant part of America.

The young navigator dreamed of finding Indian treasures and getting rich, but he later failed - all the valuables, gold and pearls of the Caribbean Sea passed into the power of the King of Portugal.

Parts of the world and continents discovered by Columbus

During his life, Columbus managed to discover: North and South America, Bahamas, Cuba and Haiti, the greater and lesser Antilles, a number of small islands in the Caribbean.

Biography of Columbus - summary

Christopher Columbus was born on September 26, 1951 in the Republic of Genoa. His mother was a housewife, his father worked in a weaving shop and as a grape seller.

In addition to Christopher, there were three younger brothers and a sister in the family. Everyone studied at the same school. One of Columbus's brothers, Giovanni, died of a serious illness at an early age, and his sister got married. And the two younger brothers were to go with the eldest on the fourth expedition in the future.

Already at the age of 14, Christopher differed from his peers with an excellent memory, great imagination, strong intellect, and rich imagination. At the age of 14, in the city of Padua, he entered university with the help of kind, rich people, completed a paid course of study, and received a bachelor's degree. Interestingly, based on this data, historians claim that the Spanish navigator was the son of a Jewish woman.

At the university, Columbus became friends with the astronomer Paolo Toscanelli, they shared new knowledge and ideas with each other. A faithful friend suggested to Christopher that it was easier to get to the riches of India by going around the continent of Africa along the western route rather than along the eastern one. Columbus, having made calculations, brought to life the spoken words of Toscanneli.

Columbus's voyage to the shores of America

Christopher Columbus married Moniz Phillipa. Her father was an avid traveler, and after his death he left his son-in-law with tons of educational material as an inheritance. It included: books, manuscripts, maps, diaries, famous continents, wind directions, geometric weather. For Christopher, this is a whole treasure.

Columbus figured out how to get to India by the western route. Then he asked for financial support from the noble, richest people of the country. Anticipating great risks, entrepreneurs refused charity.

In 1483, Columbus made an appointment with King Joao II of Portugal, explained his plans to him in detail, but did not receive a positive response, since all the country’s financial resources were spent on weapons and clothing for soldiers.

After many years of searching for sponsors, Queen Isabella of Castile became interested in the project. Columbus was given the title "Don" and promised that he would be "Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of all the lands" that he would discover. But the royal couple did not give money.

The traveler was helped by the Spanish shipowner Martin Alonso Pinson, who went with Columbus on the expedition and supplied him with everything he needed, including ships.

Columbus's route on the map

The map clearly shows the route of the ships on which the traveler and his expedition sailed.

First expedition

August 3, 1492. The number of sailors was about 80 people. Columbus discovered San Juan Bautista. Persecution began in 1508 local residents islands, their enslavement and murder. The entire population of the Caribbean island died out. The city of Caparra was founded on this site.

Second expedition

September 25, 1493. The rapid movements of 178 Portuguese ships, led by Columbus, broke into the Lesser Antilles and Hungarian Islands.

The ships, numbering more than 1,600 people, carried with them seeds, cattle and poultry for the development of agriculture and orchard trees. This is how the island of Jamaica and Puerto Rico were discovered.

This voyage paved the way to the West Indies. Later, prisoners from Spanish prisons were taken into exile on this island. The thugs did a lot of damage local population, gradually conquering territory for habitation. Thus, Portugal got rid of unnecessary hassle with prisoners.

Third expedition

May 30, 1498. Nobody wanted to go swimming; many criminals gathered on the team. 300 thugs under the command of Columbus arrived in Trinidad. So famous traveler named an island on the Indian coast.

Two weeks later, the scientist and geographer Vasco Da Gama discovered the true route to India, which brought a whole ship of spices to the royal court. He stated that the real India is where he just visited, and Columbus is a real deceiver - the lands that he discovered are not India at all.

Christopher's big mistake turned out to be disastrous; in 1500 he was sent to prison. Columbus's influential acquaintances contributed to the liberation. Christopher made the mistake of mistaking America for indian islands, which is what he paid with his freedom.

Fourth expedition

May 9, 1502. Having gone through many difficulties, the scientist did not want to stop and decided to calculate the coordinates to the new lands of South Asia. He managed to obtain permission to sail with great difficulty.

In 1502, together with two brothers, he managed to discover: the mainland Central America, the islands of Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The sailors included 150 people, they sailed on three ships.

The discoverers came face to face with Indian tribes. After this trip, the Indians and Africans suffered a lot of grief and big losses. The Portuguese committed massacres and colonized the slave system.

The significance of Columbus's discovery of America

The value of the discoveries of the great traveler is known to everyone, but let’s still clarify:

• first to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics and subtropics of the Northern Hemisphere;
• the first European to sail the “Mediterranean” American Sea;
• explored the shores of America (total length 2700 km);
• open lands: discovered South America, the isthmus of Central America, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, Dominica and Virginia, the islands of the Caribbean, Fr. Trinidad, Bahamas archipelago;
• A necklace, diamonds and pearls were brought to the coast of Portugal.

Christopher Columbus last years of life

The last years of Christopher Columbus's life were spent with an incurable illness. His acquaintances and friends learned about his death very late. Columbus is buried in the city of Valladolid.

How Columbus died and where he is buried

On the verge of life and death, he held the hands of his sons and, unconscious, talked about his travels. The location of his grave is still unknown, and his date of birth is not certain.

In Santo Domingo it's worth big monument, dedicated to Columbus. It's called Faro a Colon, Spanish for "Columbus Lighthouse." It is a strong electrical system that forms a giant cross in the air at dusk. The light is so bright that it can be seen even in Puerto Rico.

Columbus died in the city of Valladolid. Before his death, Christopher asked his sons to transfer his remains to the Carthusian monastery in Seville. At the request of his wife, in 1542, Columbus's body was again moved to the city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Recently, in Santo Domingo, construction workers dug up a lead box with the inscription: “The illustrious and respected Don Cristobal Colon,” with bone fragments remaining inside. Translated from Spanish "Christopher Columbus". So the burial place of Columbus remains unknown to this day.

Not everyone probably knows that:

• The traveler's real name is Cristobal Colon;
• Columbus is Jewish by nationality, scientists think so, because his mother was Israeli. The traveler's intelligence and memory were superior to his classmates, and scientists attribute unusual abilities only to Jews;
• the navigator’s homeland is Spain, Valladolid;
• when Columbus set out on his journey, he did not have a penny, he was helped by Martin Alonso Pinzon, a shipowner from Spain, who later became the same discoverer;
• ships on which the traveler and his expedition sailed to America: Santa Maria, Pinta, Niña;
• Having sailed to America, Columbus decided that it was India, calling the continent the West Indies. Here he made a serious mistake, which cost him his freedom. He was jailed. But a month after his imprisonment, influential acquaintances pulled Columbus to freedom;
• the navigator's predecessors massively enslaved and exterminated the people who lived before their arrival, at the cost of blood.
• the sad shade in the character of Columbus is that he did not care further fate local inhabitants of another land, and he continued to ruthlessly discover other continents.

The famous traveler was distinguished from his friends by his pride, great will, patience, and was driven forward by a great motivation for power and wealth. The scientist tried to develop new lands for his people.

After his discoveries, many island residents died; brutal murders were committed by Spanish criminals and soldiers. WITH Caribbean Sea More than 100 kg of pearls were exported to the shores of Portugal. The discoveries that Columbus made were truly appreciated only in the 16th century.

The history of the discovery of America is quite amazing. These events took place at the end of the 15th century due to the rapid development of navigation and shipping in Europe. In many ways, we can say that the discovery of the American continent happened completely by accident and the motives were very banal - the search for gold, wealth, large trading cities.

In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, in those days, even then the states were quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence and find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury. At the end of the 15th century, trade and the development of new colonies flourished.

Who discovered America?

In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, even then the states were quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence and find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury.

When you ask any adult or child who discovered America, we will hear about Columbus. It was Christopher Columbus who gave impetus to the active search and development of new lands.

Christopher Columbus is the great Spanish navigator. Information about where he was born and spent his childhood is limited and contradictory. It is known that as a young man, Christopher was interested in cartography. He was married to the daughter of a navigator. In 1470, the geographer and astronomer Toscanelli informed Columbus of his assumptions that the route to India was shorter if one sailed west. Apparently, then Columbus began to hatch his idea of ​​​​a short route to India, and according to his calculations, it was necessary to sail through the Canary Islands, and Japan would be close there.
Since 1475, Columbus has been trying to implement the idea and make an expedition. The purpose of the expedition is to find a new trade route to India through Atlantic Ocean. To do this, he turned to the government and merchants of Genoa, but they did not support him. The second attempt to find funding for the expedition was made by the Portuguese King João II, however, even here, after a long study of the project, he was refused.

For the last time, he came to the Spanish king with his project. At the beginning, his project was considered for a long time, there were even several meetings and commissions, this lasted several years. His idea was supported by bishops and Catholic kings. But Columbus received final support for his project after the victory of Spain in the city of Granada, which was liberated from the Arab presence.

The expedition was organized on the condition that Columbus, if successful, would receive not only the gifts and riches of new lands, but also receive, in addition to the status of a nobleman, the title: Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of all the lands that he discovers. For Spain, a successful expedition promised not only the development of new lands, but also the opportunity to trade directly with India, since, according to the treaty concluded with Portugal, Spanish ships were prohibited from entering the waters west coast Africa.

When and how did Columbus discover America?

Historians consider 1942 to be the year of the discovery of America, although these are rather approximate data. Discovering new lands and islands, Columbus had no idea that this was another continent, which would later be called the “New World”. The traveler undertook 4 expeditions. He arrived to new and new lands, believing that these were the lands of “Western India”. For quite a long time everyone in Europe thought so. However, another traveler Vasco da Gama declared Columbus a deceiver, since it was Gamma who found a direct route to India and brought gifts and spices from there.

What kind of America did Christopher Columbus discover? It can be said that thanks to his expeditions since 1492, Columbus discovered both North and South America. To be more precise, islands were discovered that are now considered either South or North America.

Who discovered America first?

Although historically it is believed that it was Columbus who discovered America, but in fact this is not entirely true.

There is evidence that " New World"previously visited by the Scandinavians (Leif Eriksson in 1000, Thorfinn Karlsefni in 1008), this journey became known from the manuscripts “The Saga of Eric the Red” and “The Saga of the Greenlanders”. There are other “discoverers of America”, but the scientific community does not takes them seriously, since there is no reliable data. For example, America was previously visited by the African traveler from Mali - Abu Bakr II, the Scottish nobleman Henry Sinclair, and the Chinese traveler Zheng He.

Why was America called America?

The first widely known and recorded fact is the visit of this part of the “New World” by the traveler and navigator Amerigo Vespucci. It is noteworthy that it was he who put forward the assumption that this was not India or China, but a completely new, previously unknown continent. It is believed that this is why the name America was assigned to the new land, and not its discoverer, Columbus.

Name: Christopher Columbus

State: Italy, Spain

Field of activity: Navigator

Greatest Achievement: The first to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Opened America for Europeans.

Christopher Columbus used his strong character to persuade rulers and scientists to reconsider accepted concepts and theories about the size of the Earth in order to find and discover new way to Asia. Although he was not the first European to find the Americas (that honor fell to the Viking Leif Eriksson), his voyage opened up the possibility of trade between the two continents.

Born by the sea

Born in 1451 to Domenic and Susanna (Fontanarossa), Christopher grew up in Genoa, Italy. Later, while living in Spain, he was better known under the name Cristobal Colon. He was the eldest of five children and studied with his brothers as an adult.

Situated on the northwestern coast of Italy, Genoa was a port city. Columbus completed his basic education at an early age and began traveling with merchant ships. In 1476 he visited Portugal, where he started a cartographic business with his brother Bartholomew. In 1479 he married Felippa Moniz de Palestrello, daughter of the governor of the Portuguese island.

Their only child Diego was born in 1480. Felippa died a few years later. His second son, Fernando, was born in 1488 to Beatriz Enriquez de Arana.

Christopher Columbus's voyage around the world

In the 50s of the 15th century she took control northern Africa, blocking Europeans' shortest and easiest access to valuable Asian goods such as spices. In search of an alternative to this dangerous and long journey, many countries turned their eyes to the sea. Portugal in particular made huge strides towards discovering a route around southern Africa, eventually rounding the Cape good hope in 1488.

Instead of trying to circumnavigate the African continent from the south, Columbus decided to go west. Educated people knew the fact that the Earth was round; the only question that was unclear was how big it was.

The Greek mathematician and astronomer Eratosthenes first determined its size in 240 BC; later scientists improved this number, but none of these assumptions was proven. Columbus believed that the figure voiced by scientists was too high, and that the large Asian continent would reduce the need for long sea voyages.

According to his calculations, the Earth was 66% smaller than scientists thought it was. Surprisingly, his calculations were very close to the actual size of the globe.

Columbus first presented his plans to Portugal in 1483, but they fell on deaf ears. He went to Spain, which was jointly ruled by the monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. Although Spain was at the time involved in a war with the Muslim states, it gave Columbus a job in the Spanish court. Spain took possession southern provinces in January 1492, and in April of the same year, Columbus's plan received approval. He began preparations for the trip.

"Nina", "Pinta" and "Santa Maria"

Columbus set off on a voyage from Canary Islands in September 1492. He captained the caravel (a type of Portuguese ship) Santa Maria. Two other ships, Nina and Pinta, sailed alongside the 90 sailors on board. On October 12, 1492 they reached small island in the Caribbean, which Columbus named San Salvador. This day is celebrated as Columbus Day in the USA every second Monday in October; Other countries also celebrate this day under different names.

Confident that he had arrived in the East Indies, Columbus called the natives Indians. According to his description, kind but primitive people had to experience cruel treatment at the hands of Europeans.

Leaving San Salvador, the team continued traveling along the coast of Cuba and Hispaniola (modern Haiti and Dominican Republic). On the evening before Christmas, the Santa Maria crashed on a reef off the island of Haiti. Forty men were forced to remain in a hastily constructed camp in search of gold while Columbus, taking the Nina and Pinta, sailed back to Spain to announce his success.

Several indigenous captives were taken on board the ship as proof of achievement, but some did not survive the arduous sea voyage.

Columbus was not the first European to set foot on the New World. The Vikings had discovered this land several centuries earlier. But their raids were sporadic, and information about them never spread throughout Europe.

After Columbus's discovery, trade in goods, people and ideas began between the two continents.

Three more trips

During the rest of his life, Columbus made three more voyages to the New World in search of the Asian continent. He returned to the islands with 17 ships and 1,500 sailors, but found no traces of the people he had observed several months earlier. Columbus established his company in several small forts along the coast of Hispaniola.

But problems soon arose when the colonists realized that the gold promised by Columbus did not exist. At the same time, a dozen ships with dissatisfied crew on board returned back to Spain. Relations with the indigenous people also did not go well, as they abandoned the search for gold. When criticism of Columbus's policies reached the monarchs, he returned to Spain and successfully dispelled all rumors, protecting himself from complaints and restoring his reputation.

In 1498, Columbus took six ships and set off in search of the Asian continent south of the area he had previously explored. Instead, he arrived off the coast of Venezuela. Returning to Hispaniola, he gave the land to settlers and authorized the enslavement of Taino peoples to rule it. Complaints about Columbus's activities continued to be received by the monarchs until they finally sent a commission to verify the validity of the complaints. Shocked by the living conditions in the colony, the commission arrested Columbus and his brother and sent them to Spain for trial. They were soon released by the royal authorities, but Columbus forever lost his post as governor of Hispaniola.

In 1502, he made a final attempt to find the Asian continent, setting sail with his son Ferdinand. They traveled along the coasts of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Two ships were forced to land on the northern coast of Jamaica due to holes, where their crews spent whole year waiting for help and return to their homeland.

Columbus returned to Spain in 1504. He died two years later, on May 20, 1506, still convinced that he had found a sea route to Asia.

Such an event as the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus is now of little interest to anyone, but just a few centuries ago America itself did not exist for Europeans at all.

No one could have imagined that beyond their narrow little world there was a huge world inhabited by large nations, a developed culture and a mass of monuments of ancient history.

Today America is the center of development of our world, where people from all over the planet flock, the best scientists, programmers, and simply active people who want to realize the American dream in their lives. And this is one of the most important reasons why it is worth knowing more about the discovery of this continent.

North America is interesting to study from a historical perspective, not only because it is unique and fascinating in its own way, but also in order to better understand its people, established values ​​and culture.

It was the colonialist status of this powerful power that at one time became the incentive that forced it to actively develop and turn into what we see now. And open this one full of beauty and the secrets of the continent fell to the great traveler Columbus.

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Who discovered America first

We all know the stories about the travels of the great man Columbus, who, together with his crew, fearlessly sailed the oceans in search of new places to spread the power of his country. This man acted both from the will of his leadership and the country, and was driven by personal interests, the desire to move and discover new things.

Amerigo Vespucci (1454 - 1512)

But not everyone knows that Columbus was not the first to discover America, since another equally legendary traveler managed to do it before him.

America got its name in honor famous traveler of his time - Amerigo Vespucci. This resident of Florence, born in 1454, set out under the leadership of Admiral Alonso de Ojeda as a navigator to conquer hitherto unprecedented lands.

It was he who gave Venezuela its current name, which means “little Venice,” and also discovered dozens of other places, which later largely retained the names given to them. It is interesting that Vespucci most likely was personally acquainted with the Spanish traveler Columbus; their acquaintance probably took place in the trading house of Danoto Berardi.

The discoverer Vespucci did not go unnoticed, and it was in honor of his discoveries that the lands of the New Overseas World were later named America.

What then did Columbus discover?

If it was Vespucci who discovered the continents of America, which is reflected even in its name, then what are the merits of the famous Columbus, why is he considered the discoverer of this region of the world?

Many travelers reached the shores of the New World before Columbus, but the problem with their travels was that they did not leave behind any clear and structured information. The heritage of the travels of Christopher's predecessors remained in the shadows, few knew about them, and that part of the world still remained distant and mysterious.

Columbus himself, starting from 1499 and later, in his further voyages not only reached the shores of the Western Hemisphere, but collected a lot of information about the countries and islands located there.

It was he who opened these places to a wide range of Europeans and launched mass travel and migration to this region, beginning a century of great change and transformation of the whole world.

When and how America was discovered by Christopher Columbus

The discovery of America is a collective concept that includes many events, and not just some found most big Island or a country on a continent.

The discoverer is believed to have discovered New world in 1492, during his first expedition there. At this time, Spanish ships reached Haiti, Caribbean Islands, visited the Bahamas archipelago, as well as Cuba.

The first island that travelers met in America was San Salvador, where they landed in the memorable year 1492.

This expedition, like the three subsequent ones, was organized by the Spanish king with the goal of finding shorter routes to India, with which increasingly close trade relations were being established at that time. But fate turned out differently, and the sailors’ path went to the shores of completely new lands.

Columbus's four expeditions - a brief history of the discovery of America

In total, Columbus, together with other brave sailors, made 4 expeditions to the shores of Novaya Zemlya. Thanks to these visits, a lot of new islands, countries and regions appeared on the map, many of which still have the names that the sailors of the past assigned to them.

The first trip took place in 1492-1493, there were 91 people on 3 ships, the places visited at that time have already been mentioned above. The sailors returned home on March 15, 1943.

The next, 2nd journey, took place in 1493-1496. The navigator was already in the rank of admiral and, in addition to this, also the viceroy of the open lands. Now the team of one and a half thousand people and 17 ships was faced with the task of gaining a foothold in new lands and thoroughly exploring them. This time we managed to discover the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Pinos, and delve significantly into the study of Haiti.

The third time, the journey lasted 2 years (1498-1500) and this voyage made it possible to study the New World even better. The islands of Trinidad and the Paria Peninsula were discovered, and the development of not only the lands of the present USA began, but also South America. The peninsulas of Margarita and Araya were also found, and many studies were carried out.

The last, 4th voyage of Columbus, took place in 1502-1504. This time, the brave discoverer of new lands reached the Caribbean shores, visiting Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. In 1503, trouble happened - a sailor's ship was wrecked near Jamaica.

Columbus's travel routes on the map

To clearly see the journey that the brave traveler from Europe took with his team, just look at the routes of all 4 expeditions shown on the map. In general terms, the features of the route of each new voyage are clear from the list of new lands discovered, but for greater clarity, you can use the following image:

Official discovery date of America

As mentioned above, the official date of the discovery of America is considered to be 1492, when the very first expedition of the great European sailor took place.

There are a lot of stories that indirectly indicate that the coast of America was first discovered not by Columbus or Vespucci, but by many other explorers and even representatives of the Viking people.

But the official date of discovery is precisely 1492, because it was not just a discovery on the map, but also the discovery of the countries of the New World as a cultural phenomenon, the beginning of an endless flow of emigrants and the establishment of trade and economic ties.

The fact that it was Christopher Columbus who took upon himself the great glory of being considered a discoverer is, in a way, a stroke of fate, but not just something that fell on one’s head, but given as a reward for courage, activity and lack of fear of trials and distant journeys.

The significance of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

Obviously, the discovery of the New World for Europe in the form of North and South America became a grandiose event of its time and set the vector for the development of an entire world civilization for hundreds of years to come.

Thanks to these events, the United States emerged, at first frail and mired in internal conflicts, populated by incomprehensible personalities and adventurers, and later quickly transformed into an advanced country that fought slavery, created the most powerful dollar currency, and shifted progress in science and technology to new horizons.

The event in question has become extremely important both for Europe and America, and for the whole world. It is difficult to imagine what the current civilization, economic and political maps worlds, if not for the presence at one time of a Spanish daredevil, who, for the sake of the call of honor and a reckless desire for adventure, would not have gone to conquer the Atlantic Ocean.

What Christopher Columbus did, you will learn from this article.

What did Christopher Columbus discover? Discoveries of Christopher Columbus

The navigator is the most mysterious personality of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries and travel. His life is full of mysteries, dark spots, inexplicable coincidences and actions. And all because humanity became interested in the navigator 150 years after his death - important documents had already been lost, and Columbus’s life remained shrouded in speculation and gossip. Plus, Columbus himself hid his origin (for unknown reasons), the motives of his actions and thoughts. The only thing that is known is the year 1451 - the year of his birth and the place of birth - the Genoese Republic.

He made 4 expeditions, which were supplied by the Spanish king:

• The first expedition - 1492-1493.
• Second expedition - 1493-1496.
• Third expedition - 1498 - 1500.
• The fourth expedition - 1502 - 1504.

During four expeditions, the navigator discovered many new territories and two seas - Sargasso and Caribbean.

Lands discovered by Christopher Columbus

It is interesting that all the time the navigator thought that he had discovered India, and beyond it he would find rich Japan and China. But that was not the case. He is responsible for the discovery and exploration of the New World. The islands discovered by Christopher Columbus are the Bahamas and Antilles, Saman, Haiti and Dominica, the Lesser Antilles, Cuba and Trinidad, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe and Margarita. He is the pioneer of the lands of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, as well as northern shore South America and the Caribbean part of Central America.

Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

But the most important thing is that during his expedition, Christopher Columbus discovered America. This happened on October 12, 1492, when he landed on the island of San Salvador.

And it all started like this: on August 3, 1492, the expedition of a European navigator consisting of the ships “Santa Maria”, “Nina” and “Pinta” set out on a long journey. In September the Sargasso Sea was discovered. They walked through Germany for three weeks. On October 7, 1492, Columbus's team changed its course to the southwest, believing that they had missed Japan, which they so wanted to discover. After 5 days, the expedition came across an island named San Salvador by Christopher Columbus in honor of the savior Christ. This date, October 12, 1492, is considered the official day of the discovery of America.

A day later, Columbus landed and planted the Castilian banner. Thus, he formally became the owner of the island. Having explored the nearby islands, the navigator sincerely believed that these were the environs of Japan, India and China. At first, the open lands were called the West Indies. Christopher Columbus returned to Spain on March 15, 1493 on the ship Niña. As a gift to King Ferdinand II of Aragon, he brought gold, natives, plants unknown to Europeans - potatoes, corn, tobacco, as well as bird feathers and fruits.

We hope that from this article you learned how the discoveries of Christopher Columbus became famous throughout the world.