Find out by reading these 17 true facts about Christopher Columbus and his journeys. Christopher Columbus was born on October 31, 1451 in Genoa, Italy. Top Facts About Christopher Columbus . Christopher Columbus’ father was named Domenico Colombo and was a middle-class tradesman. Did we miss any fascinating fact about Christopher Columbus? Today Christopher Columbus is credited for discovering America. Spanish soldiers then exhumed his body and reburied him in Cuba. After the Spanish-American War, Columbus was once again exhumed and returned to Seville, where he lies in a Gothic cathedral. Minster, Christopher. Columbus tried to convince King John of Portugal to finance his trip. Columbus, who was a fine explorer, turned out to be a lousy governor. Fun Facts. While exploring the coast of Central America, Columbus came upon a long dugout trading vessel whose occupants had weapons and tools made of copper and flint, textiles and a beer-like fermented beverage. Fact 1 Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy and his given name was Cristoforo Colombo. When you see a light at the end of a tunnel, then … He made his first sea trip at age 13. He believed that... 3. Fortunately for Columbus, the Bahamas was located about the distance he expected to find Japan. The Tomb of Christopher Columbus, Seville, Spain. Thanks too his greatness, he is known by different names in different languages. Minster, Christopher. He was eventually cleared of charges and allowed to cross the Atlantic for the last. He took his first voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in 1476. Christopher Columbus has also exemplified himself as man of self involvement, he was only worried about what his goal was and it didn’t matter what he had to do to accomplish it. His idea was good but math was incorrect. According to descriptions, Columbus was well above 5’7” – the average for men during his time period. 1.3 3)Half of the Voyage of Columbus were a Disaster. Half a century before, Vikings led by Leif Eriksson crossed the Atlantic and set foot in North America. Pinta’s real name is unknown. Although best known for his historic 1492 expedition, Columbus returned to the Americas three more times in the following decade. It is believed that the traders were from one of the Mayan cultures of northern Central America. Columbus Day is celebrated in the United States, Islands of the Americas, Spain, and Italy. As months dragged on, Columbus’ crew mutinied, robbed and murdered some of the Arawaks. Christopher Columbus indeed did discover America. The Arawaks asked Columbus to intercede, promising to provide for them if his God restores the moon. True enough, the moon turned a blood-red colour and terrified the natives. Fun Facts About Christopher Columbus for Kids. The Second Voyage of Christopher Columbus, Biography of Christopher Columbus, Italian Explorer, Biography of Bartolomé de Las Casas, Spanish Colonist, The Controversy Over Columbus Day Celebrations, What Is Colonialism? Ten fun facts about Christopher Columbus. In 1877, however, a box full of bones bearing his name was found in Santo Domingo. The new governor was far worse. Columbus was born in Italy but lived in Spain later in his life. MPI - Stringer/Archive Photos/Getty Images, He Almost Never Got to Make His Historic Journey, John Vanderlyn/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain, Eugène Delacroix/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain, Camille Flammarion/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain, He Never Believed He Had Found a New World, Columbus Made First Contact With One of the Major New World Civilizations. Disciplinary actions by Columbus and his brother were met with open revolt. Christopher Columbus was born sometime between August 25th and October 31st in 1451 in Genoa, Republic of Genoa. Many of the names he gave to islands and lands he discovered were religious ones: On his first landing in America, he named the island San Salvador, in hopes that the natives he had seen from the ship would find "salvation in Christ." Of course, during the colonial era, the Indigenous people would be enslaved by the Spanish in all but name.​, Richardo Liberato/Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0. Columbus made four voyages to the New World. Christopher Columbus was a maritime explorer and navigator. Christopher Minster, Ph.D., is a professor at the ​Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. He had not spoken up because the light was indistinct. Columbus crossed the Atlantic a total of four times: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. His agreement with Ferdinand and Isabella signed April 17, 1492, included a proviso that he would keep 10% of the"pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices...which may be bought, bartered, discovered, acquired, or obtained.". Columbus then traveled to Spain and approached King Ferninand and Queen Isabella. Sridhar1000/Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. He hung around the Spanish court for years, hoping to convince Ferdinand and Isabella to finance his journey. #2: Money is Essential. Christopher Columbus’ long awaited three-ship voyage was backed by King Ferdinand of Spain and in 1492 his expedition began in the Santa Maria ship along with two other ships named Pinta and Niña. Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, which is now part of Italy. In fact, the native population dwindled from a few hundred thousand to only hundreds because of European diseases and their violent rule. Christopher Columbus was Italian but he lived in Portugal for many years. Three days before the celestial event, Columbus requested an audience with the Arawak chief, saying that his God was angry for the lack of provisions for his men and that he would send a sign of his displeasure. 17 Facts about Christopher Columbus’ Life and Adventures Christopher Columbus is an Anglicized version of his Italian birth name Cristoforo Columbo. By the end of his life, he was a laughingstock in Europe because of his stubborn refusal to accept the obvious. https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-christopher-columbus-2136702 (accessed March 7, 2021). Later in life, he took to wearing a plain Franciscan habit everywhere he went, looking much more like a monk than a wealthy admiral (which he was). Columbus and his brothers’ rule in Hispaniola was brutal, so much so that the Spanish Crown sent a new governor to replace Christopher Columbus himself. The Greeks observed the movements of the sun and other planetary properties to conclude that the Earth was a sphere.What he wanted to do was to create a sea route across the Atlantic towards Asia. He underestimated the circumference of the Earth by 25%. In January 1493, he left behind 40 of his crew to start a settlement on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and went back to Spain. Columbus wasn’t the first to conquer the Atlantic. Minster, Christopher. Humans have known that the Earth was round since ancient Greece, so this wasn’t a surprising fact, even for Christopher Columbus. Other languages have changed his name, too: he is Cristóbal Colón in Spanish and Kristoffer Kolumbus in Swedish, for example. Share them in the comments. Isabella and Ferdinand knew better: the geographers and astronomers they consulted knew the world was spherical and estimated that Japan was 12,000 miles from Spain (correct if you go by ship heading eastward from Bilbao), while Columbus held out for 2,400 miles. Upon his return to Hispaniola later that year, the settlement was destroyed, and his crew was nowhere to be found. Christopher Columbus is an Anglicization of his real name, given to him in Genoa where he was born: Cristoforo... 02. Columbus wanted to be buried in the New World, but it didn’t have a church large enough to accommodate a person of his status. The French privateers were sailing the north along the Portuguese Coast. Here are ten things that maybe you didn't already know about Christopher Columbus and his four legendary voyages. Columbus Brought Syphilis to the New World 2. Since then, two cities—Seville, Spain, and Santo Domingo—claim to have his remains. But Portugal, England and France dismissed the idea. Christopher Columbus is an Anglicization of his real name, given to him in Genoa where he was born: Cristoforo Colombo. While Christopher Columbus is remembered with pride by Spain, he himself wasn’t Spanish. It was dangerous and difficult for Europeans to reach Asia by land, so the Portuguese took to the sea; they sailed around the African continent. In his original calculations, he thought that Asia would be 2,400 miles from Portugal. The King’s experts believed the trip was impossibly long. He survived by swimming to the coast of Portugal. Columbus brought horses to the new world on his second voyage. Columbus’ crew … Where Are the Remains of Christopher Columbus? Even before organizing a voyage to the New World, he explored much of Europe with merchant ships. To quell the chaos, Columbus pretended to bring down the wrath of God. Columbus was likely not the first European to land in the New World. The Arawaks then provided for them until a caravel from Hispaniola arrived to fetch them. Grateful for the new lands he had found for them, the King and Queen of Spain made Columbus governor in the newly-established settlement of Santo Domingo. 1 Interesting Facts About Christopher Columbus. Columbus became convinced of the possibility of reaching Asia by traveling west, but getting the funding to … French privateers attached his ship and set it on fire. On his fourth voyage, his ship rotted out from under him and he spent a year with his men marooned on Jamaica. Legal proceedings lasted three decades until the Crown granted honorific titles to Columbus’ grandson. Traveling around the Mediterranean, Columbus led a young life that was probably typical for sailors of the time. Poor Rodrigo never got the reward, however: Columbus kept it for himself, telling everyone he had seen a hazy sort of light the night before. The King said no to Columbus’s request. From a young age, he liked to travel. ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/facts-about-christopher-columbus-2136702. Columbus was a very religious man who believed that God had singled him out for his voyages of discovery. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-christopher-columbus-2136702. Norse Viking Leif Eriksson is believed to have landed in Newfoundland around 1000, nearly 500 years before Columbus set sail. Since his voyages were primarily economic in nature, Columbus was expected to find something valuable on his travels. Find us on Facebook In each city, the bones in question are housed in elaborate mausoleums. Required fields are marked *. He began sailing when he was just a teenager. One of the little known Christopher Columbus facts, however, is that Christopher Columbus was Italian and his name was actually Cristoforo Colombo. However, he is not necessarily the first person to have discovered it. Interestingly, Columbus decided not to investigate further and turned south instead of north along Central America. However, he achieved most of his fame after he moved to Spain. He was a book publisher, a map maker and a sailor. Although Columbus instructed his settlers to make sure that the Tainos on Hispaniola be protected, during his frequent absences, the settlers rampaged the villages, robbing, raping, and enslaving. Columbus and his brothers were sent back to Spain in chains. On Columbus’ famed 1492 voyage, his flagship the Santa Maria ran aground and sank, causing him to leave 39 men behind at a settlement named La Navidad. 5 Unbelievable Facts About Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus Was Not His Real Name. Christopher Columbus Biography. Here are a few interesting facts about Christopher Columbus that you might not know #1: Pseudonym. When it comes to Christopher Columbus, most famous of the explorers of the Age of Discovery, it's hard to separate truth from myth, and fact from legend. Christopher Columbus was the eldest of five sons of Domenico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa. Fun Facts about Christopher Columbus Columbus was first buried in Spain, however his remains were later moved to Santo Domingo in the new world and then back, again, to Spain. 10 Fascinating Facts About Christopher Columbus 1. According to biographer Washington Irving (1783–1859), Columbus even proposed a ridiculous theory for the discrepancy: that the Earth was shaped like a pear, and that he had not found Asia because of the part of the pear that bulges out towards the stem. Christopher Columbus Facts: 10 Interesting Facts about Christopher Columbus. More than 500 years later, Christopher Columbus Day is celebrated in the United States, and Christopher Columbus facts continue to intrigue people of all ages. Do you want to learn more about Christopher Columbus? He brought 550 of them back as enslaved people after his first voyage—most of them died and the rest were sold—and his settlers brought more when they returned after his second voyage. Columbus wasn’t the first to conquer the Atlantic. His father was a wool weaver who also owned a cheese stand. Columbus had a novel idea. He discovered the Americas by accident - he was trying to find a new route to China and India. 10 Facts About Christopher Columbus 01. Christopher Columbus (c. 1450-51–May 20, 1506) was born in the Republic of Genoa, Italy, although the exact location of his birth is not known with certainty. But did he really achieve all these things? He was also pale, so he burnt easily, and had a hooked nose with blue eyes and sandy red/blonde hair. Columbus’ mother was Susanna Fontanarossa, the daughter of a … It got so bad that the Spanish crown sent an investigator, who took over as governor, arrested Columbus, and sent him back to Spain in chains. The Santa Maria wrecked on Columbus’ historic voyage. In fact, he had just given up and was headed to France in 1492 when he got the news that his voyage had finally been approved. A sailor named Rodrigo de Triana was the first to see land on October 12, 1492: a small island in the present-day Bahamas Columbus named San Salvador. He was then dug up three years later and buried in a family mausoleum in Seville. The elementary school lyrics were the first exposure most students had to the Italian explorer. Columbus was disappointed to find that the lands he discovered were not full of gold, silver, pearls and other treasures, but he soon decided that the Indigenous people themselves could be a valuable resource. When Columbus sailed for the New World for the last time, shipworms gnawed parts of his fleet, forcing him to abandon two ships and land on modern-day Jamaica. At one time during his third voyage, when he saw the Orinoco River empty out into the Atlantic Ocean off of northern South America, he became convinced he had found the Garden of Eden. In fact, Christopher Columbus sought patrons for ten years, until he struck a deal with the Spanish monarchy. Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in about 1451. The real name of Niña was Santa Clara, while Santa Maria’s nickname was La Gallega, after Galicia, where it was built. Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator. Top 10 Facts About Christopher Columbus. He died aged 54 … Speaking of Names, Those Boats Were Not Named What You Think. Columbus died in Spain in 1506, and his remains were kept there for a while before being sent to Santo Domingo in 1537. Rodrigo may have gotten hosed, but there is a nice statue of him sighting land in a park in Seville. Fact 3 He "discovered” (for the Europeans) many of the Caribbean Islands, South America and Central America. Thus, those who assume today that he is from Spain misconceive the truth due to the fact that he lived most of his life there. He went on trading voyages around the Mediterranean Sea. Columbus was born sometime in October of 1451 in what is now part of Italy. Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa between August and October 1451. Follow us on Twitter. Christopher Columbus, born in the Republic of Genoa, Italy on October 3, 1451 and died on May 23, 1506. He was supposed to return to Spain loaded with spices and other valuable goods and knowledge of an important new trade route. At court, it was the width of the ocean westward that was in question, not the shape of the world. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Interesting Facts About Christopher Columbus. Many credit the discovery of a round Earth to Columbus, but he wasn’t... Columbus Wasn’t the First to Cross the Atlantic. Christopher Columbus is his name in English but he was born in Italy in 1451, so his real name in Italian is Cristoforo Colombo. When Christopher Columbus was in the Havana, he forced the Native Americans to search gold for him, and if anyone of them would try to rebel or spark a revolution, their hand would be cut off. Your email address will not be published. He was devastated when Queen Isabela decided that the New World Indigenous people were her subjects, and therefore could not be enslaved. Privacy Policy | ThoughtCo. One of the most famous explorers of all time, Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain and landed in present day Central America in 1492. When he was only a teenager he got a job on merchant ship, this ship was on sea until 1470 when French privateers attacked his ship. Use our interactive map to navigate our fascinating planet and discover many interesting and fun facts for every country…, © 2021 Planet Numbers Ltd.   In Columbus’ time, it was custom to name ships after saints and then give them a simpler moniker. "10 Facts About Christopher Columbus." In 1795, France took control of Hispaniola. Fact 2 Columbus began a career as a seafarer at the age of fourteen and later supported himself by selling maps and charts. Columbus became convinced of the possibility of reaching Asia by traveling west, but getting the funding to go was a hard sell in Europe. Columbus was a Slave Trader “Only a … Christopher Columbus: Christopher Columbus was an Italian Spanish guide who cruised west over the Atlantic Ocean looking for a course to Asia yet accomplished distinction by making landfall in the Americas. Christopher Columbus’ boat then sank and he had to It’s a little-known fact that Christopher Columbus had many miscalculations during his journeys. Write for us | Christopher Columbus is most famous for paving the way for the European exploration and colonization of North America and South America. There they remained until 1795​ when they were sent to Havana and in 1898 they supposedly went back to Spain. As a matter of fact, Columbus didn’t discover America, as it was already populated when he reached it. Christopher Columbus illustration from Grand voyages (1596) by Theodor de Bry (1528-1598). Also, his estimate of the naval distance to Marco Polo’s great port of Cathay was inaccurate. And if you want to learn more about the lands that Columbus visited, here are some jolly facts about Jamaica. (2020, August 27). Columbus died on 20 May 1506 and buried in Valladolid, Spain. Columbus pretended to pray in his cabin and emerged only when the eclipse has subsided. So in 1542, his daughter-in-law Maria de Rojas y Toledo had him exhumed and sent him to Hispaniola. American children frequently learn about Christopher Columbus in their social studies and history classes. Little-Known Facts about Christopher Columbus Columbus Didn’t Prove that the Earth Was Round. Columbus was pretty tall The last of our interesting facts about Christopher Columbus highlights his looks. Many credit the discovery of a round Earth to Columbus, but he wasn’t the first to prove it. One notable voyage to the Greek island of Khios marked the closest Columbus would ever actually g… Site Map, Christopher Columbus went by many names, including Xpoual de Colon. He and his crew were stranded, but the native Arawak Indians welcomed them and fed them for months. Columbus wasn’t … Christopher Columbus may not have discovered America, but he did take several voyages to the continent that helped ignite Europe’s Age of Exploration. "10 Facts About Christopher Columbus." 21 Facts You Never Learned About Christopher Columbus. He tried to get support from many sources, including the King of Portugal, but most European rulers thought he was a crackpot and didn’t pay much attention to him. Columbus’ ships are known as Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, but the first two are likely nicknames. Christopher Columbus suggested sail across the Atlantic instead of Africa continent. Instead of following the Portuguese, he proposed sailing West and crossing the Atlantic to reach Asia. In Italy, he’s known as Cristoforo Colombo, but in. Columbus calculation was based on the idea that only a single ocean separated Europe from China; there were no intermediate land. When Columbus died, his heirs filed lawsuits known as the Pleitos colombinos against the Crown of Castile and Leon to assert the rewards for discovering the New World for Spain. He is a former head writer at VIVA Travel Guides. Instead, he returned empty-handed and without the best of the three ships entrusted to him. He had a copy of an astronomical almanac, which predicts a total lunar eclipse. Columbus was looking for a new passage to Asia... and that’s just what he found, or so he said until his dying day. Christopher Columbus (/ kəˈlʌmbəs /; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italian explorer and navigator who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, opening the way for European exploration and colonization of the Americas. 1.1 1) His Real Name Was Not Christopher Columbus; 1.2 2) Columbus Family, Wife, and Children. Facts | History, People | 17 Facts about Christopher Columbus’ Life and Adventures Nobody knew there was a continent between. Your email address will not be published. Columbus … Christopher Columbus, Cristóbal Colón, Kristoffer Kolumbus, say it as whatever you want and yet you would be calling upon the same man. In spite of mounting facts that seemed to indicate that he had discovered lands previously unknown, he continued to believe that Japan, China and the court of the Great Khan were very close to the lands he had discovered. On his famous 1492 voyage, Columbus had promised a reward of gold to whoever saw land first. 10 Facts About Christopher Columbus. Christopher Columbus was the world’s most famous explorer, discovering the “New World” and proving that the world was not flat. 27 Baffling Facts about the Bermuda Triangle, 32 Facts about Coronavirus (COVID-19) You Need To Read Today. Even his Genoese name is not certain, as historical documents about his origin are scarce. In Spanish-speaking nations Columbus Day is referred to as Dia de la Raza meaning Day of the People or Day of the Race. There’s more to this famous explorer than … Christopher Columbus lived in the Age of Exploration when European powers wanted the riches of the Far East.

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