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Columbus was born in Genoa Italy between August and October 1451.
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On His First Journey, Columbus first set sail in 1465. Columbus was aged only 13 at this stage. He first set sail to Lisbon, Portugal but was shipwrecked along the way.
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Colombus wanted to embark on a voyage to find a shorter route to India. Columbus believed that if you sailed a short distance to the West you would arrive in the East. However at this time peop believed that the world was flat and that if you sailed too far to the West you would fall off. This is why it was very difficult to obtain sponsorship for this voyage. Eventually Columbus convinced King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to sponsor him.
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Colombus and his crew members left the port of Palos in Southern Spain with three Caravels named the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. He had 90 men on board including experienced sailors and also some young boys and four prisioners who had got their freedom in return for going on Columbus's voyage.
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The Canary Islands Columbus stopped in the Canary Islands to take on food and water before heading out into the Atlantic. All Columbus's crew were very nervous about embarking on the voyage as it was seen to be a hopeless one.
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Land was finally spotted and on the 11th of November Columbus landed on an Island he called San Salvador. They had reached the Caribbean, but Columbus thought he was in India so he referred to the people as Indians.
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Colombus and his crew eplored Jamaica aswell as Cuba and Hispaniola. The Santa Maria ran aground and was wrecked. Columbus had a fort made with the wreckage and left 40 men to gaurd it. He then returned to Palos with the Nina and the Pinta.
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Colombus returned to Spain with some items that he discovered in the New World. These items included some gold, spices, parrots, and six kidnapped 'Indians'. The King and Queen gave Columbus a heros welcome and made him the Governor of the lands that he discovered.
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Colombus made a total of three voyages to what he thought was the 'Indies' but he never found the spices, silks and other riches that he hoped for. He never knew he was the first European to reach the new Continent that was later to be called America.
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Christopher Colombus returned to Spain where he passed away.
