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Christopher Columbus arrives at the island of Hispaniola (modern Haiti/Dominican Republic) with his ships the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. Columbus set sail from Portugal seeking a route to the Indies and Spice Islands. -
The Roanoke Colony was founded by English settlers. When ships arrived to resupply the Colony in 1588, they found the settlement abandoned. The mystery of the "Lost Colony" has yet to be conclusively solved.