1000+ images about Columbus. 3. Ships on Pinterest | Santa maria, Christopher columbus and Ships Forward Latina 1/65 Santa Maria LAT22411 by Latina. $135.58. This is the Latina 1:65 Scale Santa Maria Model Kit. This Static Display boat is an all-wood replica of the Santa Maria one of the three ships that ColumbusThis is the Latina 1:65 Scale Santa Maria Model Kit. This Static Display boat is an all-wood replica of the Santa Maria one of the three ships that Columbus sailed to the New World. Latina rates the difficulty level at two anchors, recommended for beginning to inte... See More Facts About Christopher Columbus Ships - Some Interesting Facts WRITE FOR US Facts About Christopher Columbus Ships The Nina, Pinta and flagship Santa Maria were the three vessels that made up the small fleet Christopher Columbus took on his first voyage across the Atlantic to the New World.

They were relatively small ships: the Santa Maria was a medium-sized carrack (a three or four-masted vessel) around 36 metres (117 feet) long with a burden of 100 or so tons, while both the Nina and the Pinta were caravels (a more lightweight ship) of around half that size. All survived the voyage from Spain to what is modern-day Haiti but, despite being the largest of the trio, the Santa Maria never made the journey back. The ships were secondhand at best and, though carracks were built for extended sailing, the fleet was never designed for such intrepid exploration. Santa Maria and its two sister ships left on 3 August 1492 and headed south of the Canary Islands. The idea was to take advantage of the north-east trade winds off Africa, then use the westerlies that prevail across the Azores on the way back. It was an inspirational piece of navigational prowess that paid off, even if it took many weeks longer than anticipated to reach what Columbus thought was the other side of the world and the country of Cipango (Japan) on 28 October; it was in fact Cuba.

After a night of celebration, the Santa Maria ran aground near what’s now the city of Cap-Haitien on Haiti. It was damaged beyond repair and Columbus ordered it to be stripped then used to build the new settlement of Villa de la Navidad, while the Nina and Pinta began the voyage home to Spain. New World treasures The first voyage of Christopher Columbus was funded partly by the Spanish crown and Sevillian bankers, with only a fraction of the total investment that went into the second expedition. It’s estimated that he would have needed a minimum of 1.14 million maravedi’s -the medieval Iberian currency – to secure ships, supplies and fund crew salaries. Needless to say, that was a huge sum of money, although not as much as Columbus would have liked for an expedition of his lofty ambitions. He returned to Spain minus the flagship of his small fleet and many of his original crew on 15 March 1493, long overdue and having stopped in Portugal due to a storm, which also raised suspicions over his loyalty.

However, the parrots, captured natives plus cargo brimming with plundered gold and spices were more than enough to convince the crown that not only was he not a traitor, but a much bigger second expedition was needed as soon as possible. Columbus’s crew The crew of the entire fleet consisted mostly of experienced seamen from Andaluci’a, a southern region of Spain, as well as from Galicia in the north. A few of the crew members were convicted criminals too; they were offered amnesty by the crown if they signed up to what, at the time, was considered a perilous voyage. The Santa Maria’s roll-call is very well known. As the flagship of the fleet, Christopher Columbus was its captain, Spanish navigator and cartographer Juan de la Cosa was its owner and Diego de Arana was the master-at-arms. De Arana was left behind at the new settlement of La Navidad as governor, where Haitian natives later killed him. Academics, craftsmen, a physician and even a painter also made up the roster. Finally, Pedro de Terreros – one of the cabin boys – was left steering the Santa Maria while the rest of the crew celebrated on the fateful night it ran onto a reef off Haiti.

The First Voyage of Christopher Columbus (1492-1493) Updated March 14, 2016. The First Voyage of Christopher Columbus: Having convinced the King and Queen of Spain to finance his voyage, Christopher Columbus departed mainland Spain on August 3, 1492. He quickly made port in the Canary Islands for a final restocking and left there on September 6. He was in command of three ships: the Pinta, the Niña, and the Santa María. Although Columbus was in overall command, the Pinta was captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón and the Niña by Vicente Yañez Pinzón. First landfall: San Salvador: On October 12, Rodrigo de Triana, a sailor aboard the Pinta, first sighted land. Columbus himself later claimed that he had seen a sort of light or aura before Triana did, allowing him to keep the reward he had promised to give whomever spotted land first. The land turned out to be a small island in the present-day Bahamas. Columbus named the island San Salvador, although he remarked in his journal that the natives referred to it as Guanahani.

There is some debate over which island was Columbus’ first stop; most experts believe it to be San Salvador, Samana Cay, Plana Cays or Grand Turk Island. continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know Second landfall: Cuba: Columbus explored five islands in the modern-day Bahamas before he made it to Cuba. He reached Cuba on October 28, making landfall at Bariay, a harbor near the eastern tip of the island. Thinking he had found China, he sent two men to investigate. They were Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, a converted Jew who spoke Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic in addition to Spanish. Columbus had brought him as an interpreter. The two men failed in their mission to find the Emperor of China, but did visit a native Taíno village. There they were the first to observe the smoking of tobacco, a habit which they promptly picked up. Third Landfall: Hispaniola: Leaving Cuba, Columbus made landfall on the Island of Hispaniola on December 5. The natives called it Haití, but Columbus renamed it La Española, a name which was later changed to Hispaniola when Latin texts were written about the discovery.

On December 25, the Santa María ran aground and had to be abandoned. Columbus himself took over as captain of the Niña, as the Pinta had become separated from the other two ships. Negotiating with the local chieftain Guacanagari, Columbus arranged to leave 39 of his men behind in a small settlement, named La Navidad . Return to Spain: On January 6, the Pinta arrived and the ships were reunited: they set out for Spain on January 16. The ships arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, on March 4, returning to Spain shortly thereafter. Historical Importance of Columbus' First Voyage: In retrospect, it is somewhat surprising that what is today considered one of the most important voyages in history was something of a failure at the time. Columbus had promised to find a new, quicker route to the lucrative Chinese trade markets and he failed miserably. Instead of holds full of Chinese silks and spices he returned with some trinkets and a few bedraggled natives from Hispaniola: some ten more had perished on the voyage. In addition, he had lost the largest of the three ships entrusted to him.

Columbus actually considered the natives his greatest find. He thought that a new slave trade could make his discoveries lucrative. Columbus was hugely disappointed a few years later when Queen Isabela, after careful thought, decided not to open the New World to slave trading. Columbus never believed that he had found something new: he maintained, to his dying day, that the lands he discovered were indeed part of the known Far East. In spite of the failure of the first expedition to find spices or gold, a much larger second expedition was approved, perhaps in part due to Columbus’ skills as a salesman. Sources: Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present.. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962 The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria Having gotten permission and funds from Ferdinand and Isabella Columbus set about outfitting a little fleet for a trip across the "Ocean Sea" to find a faster route to China and India. He got three ships, now remembered as the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

The Santa Maria was the largest of the ships (and also the slowest). It was Columbus's flagship on the first voyage. It was built in Pontevedra, Galicia. Because of this the Santa Maria was sometimes referred to as "La Gallega", meaning "the Galician". The ship was classified as a carrack, a three or four masted ocean going sailing ship. The Santa Maria had four masts. The fore and mainmasts both carried a square sail, while the mizzen (or aft) mast had a triangular sail. She reportedly sailed well across the Atlantic, but she ran aground near Haiti and broke apart. Her hewn timbers were then used to build a fort known as La Navidad, because the wreck occurred on Christmas Day. The ship was not built especially for this journey, but had been built long before and was rented from its master and owner Juan de la Cosa. As Columbus was the Admiral of the Fleet, Juan was the Captain of the Santa Maria. He would also accompany Columbus on his second and third voyages. "Pinta", meaning "Painted One", is thought to be a nickname for the second vessel. Her given name is no longer certain.

The Pinta was a caravel . This was a smaller two or three masted ship of about 20 meters in length (about 65 feet) and about 7 meters wide (22 feet). It could be crewed by about 25 sailors. It was captained on the first trip by Martï¿½n Alonso Pinzï¿½n. He was also part owner of both the Niña and the Pinta. Columbus had some difficulty with him on the first voyage. They became separated more than once largely at the seeming instigation of Pinzon. "Niña" was also a nickname. The third ship was originally named the Santa Clara. The name may have come from the original owner whose name was Juan Nino. 1 It was lateen rigged (or Latin rigged), which was a mast with a diagonal yard mounted with a triangular sail. It was captained by Vicente Yï¿½ï¿½ez Pinzï¿½n the brother of the captain of the Pinta. The ship carried a crew of about 25 and was classed a caravel (thought to be about 45 feet long).

After the Santa Maria ran aground, Columbus used the Niña as his flagship. All told, there were about 120 crewmen for the combined fleet. They lived on hard biscuit, salted meat, and fish. They drank beer and water. Of course, they could not drink sea-water because of the high salt content. In that day they had not yet developed methods for distilling the sea-water to remove the salt. Living conditions were difficult. Sleeping was done on the hard deck, often exposed to the weather. Because of the danger of a wooden ship burning to the water-line, fires had to be strictly controlled. The cooking was done by the ships cook in the forward part of the ship. The captain normally had a small cabin in the aft part of the ship. The three ships set out from Palos, Spain on 3 August 1492. Explorers for Kids: Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus Columbus arriving in the Americas by Dioscoro Puebla Occupation: Explorer Born: 1451 in Genoa, Italy Died: May 20, 1506 Best known for: Discovering America Biography: Christopher Columbus is the explorer who is credited for discovering America.

Of course, there were already people living in America at the time who we call Native Americans . There even was a European, Leif Ericsson, who had been to the Americas before. However, it was Columbus' voyage that started the exploration and colonization of the Americas. Before the Voyage Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. He later lived in Lisbon where he worked as a trader. He learned how to make maps and navigate a ship. A Shortcut to China Columbus and his brother, Bartholomew, knew that there were great riches to be had in China and East Asia. However, traveling overland by the Silk Road was dangerous and a sea route around Africa seemed much too long. Columbus thought he could sail straight to China by crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It would turn out that Columbus was wrong. The Earth was much larger than he thought and there was another land, the Americas, between Europe and Asia. Three Ships and a Long Voyage Columbus spent years trying to convince someone to pay for his voyage. He first tried to get King John II of Portugal to pay for his journey, but the King was not interested.

Finally, he was able to convince Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain to pay for the trip. He set sail on August 3, 1492 with three ships named the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. The voyage was long and difficult. At one point his men threatened to mutiny and wanted to turn back. Columbus promised them he would turn back in two days if they didn't find land. In his journal, however, he wrote that he had no intention of turning back. Finding Land On October 12, 1492 land was spotted. It was a small island in the Bahamas that Columbus would name San Salvador. He met natives there that he called Indians because he was convinced that he had landed on islands off the coast of East Asia. He also visited other islands in the Caribbean such as Cuba and Hispaniola. The routes taken by Columbus on his four voyages (by Unknown) Click to see larger map Returning Home After making his discovery, Columbus was eager to return home to Spain and claim his riches. Only the Pinta and the Nina were able to return to Spain, however, as the Santa Maria wrecked off the coast of Hispaniola.

Columbus left 43 men behind on the island to start up an outpost. Upon returning home, Columbus was treated like a hero. He presented some of the things he had found including turkeys, pineapples, and some natives he had captured. The King of Spain was pleased enough to fund future expeditions. More Voyages Columbus would make three more voyages to the Americas. He explored more of the Caribbean and even saw mainland America. He had some difficulties in being the local governor and was even arrested for his behavior and for mistreating some of the colonists. Columbus died on May 20, 1506. He died thinking he had discovered a shortcut to Asia across the Atlantic Ocean. He never knew what an amazing discovery he had made. 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. Columbus brought horses to the new world on his second voyage. In his original calculations, he thought that Asia would be 2,400 miles from Portugal. He was way off. It is actually 10,000 miles away!

Not to mention the huge continent in between. You can remember the date Columbus discovered America by using this rhyme "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue". The sailor who was first to spot land on the voyage would receive a reward. The winner was Rodrigo de Triana who spotted land from the crow's nest of the Pinta. Activities Take a ten question quiz about this page. More Explorers: Fun Facts About Christopher Columbus' Ships | Entertainment Guide Fun Facts About Christopher Columbus' Ships by Robert Morello Columbus sailed across the Atlantic for the first time in 1492. Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images Facts About the David Sculpture Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer supplied by the king and queen of Spain during his 1492 expedition to find a shorter and more efficient route to the Far East. Columbus and his entourage made their famous voyage aboard three ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. All three ships reached the New World at San Salvador in the Bahamas in October 1492. what is a fallback The Nina The Nina's true name was the Santa Clara but, as with all Spanish ships, the tradition was to call a ship by the middle name of its owner.

Juan Nino de Moguer owned the Nina . The Nina was reported to be the middle ship of the three as far as size and top speed with all ships ranging from 5 to 8 knots. The Nina was a caravel estimated to have been about 67 feet long, 21 feet across with 7 feet of draft and a weight of 50 to 60 tons . Vincent Yanez Pinzon was the captain of the Nina . The Pinta Like the Nina, the Pinta was a dual-masted caravel with a rear-mounted rudder and a single deck. The Nina and Pinta both had 25 crew members with only one cabin located below decks and out of the elements. Crew may otherwise sleep in the open or in the hold as they wished. The captain of the Pinta was named Martin Alonzo Pinzon from Moguer . The Pinta was the fastest of the three ships and was the first to actually sight the New World. Columbus did however take credit for the sighting. The nickname Pinta means "painted one" and it refers to the ship's appearance.

The Santa Maria The Santa Maria was the flagship of the voyage and the largest by far, weighing around 100 tons. It was also the slowest of the three ships with dimensions of about 55 feet in length, a 36-foot keel, 18-foot beam and a 9-foot draft. The Santa Maria was a "Nao" or heavily built standard shipping vessel equipped for hauling freight but strong enough to cross oceans albeit at a slow pace. The ship's real name was La Gallega for its place of origin in Spain's northern region of Galicia. The Santa Maria carried Columbus on his voyage but was outpaced by both of the other ships. The Santa Maria had a crew of 39 sailors and it sank off Haiti on Christmas Eve 1492. The Voyage Columbus' voyage across the Atlantic was one of greatest navigational errors in history. He mistakenly found two new continents thinking that he had discovered a route to the Far East. Another explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, was responsible for fitting the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria with supplies for their Atlantic voyage.

As part of the foodstuffs Vespucci stocked barrels of pickles which were salted for preservation and which turned out to have high levels of vitamin C. The result was an escape from the outbreak of scurvy which had cursed so many voyages of the time. North and South America were later named for this same man. According to The Long Island Press, Columbus has been genetically linked to the origins of syphilis on the European continent. The article also notes that Columbus was an opium addict and that painted images of the explorer are not actually based on his physical appearance but are merely artists' renderings. References Christopher Columbus Ships Christopher Columbus Ships -Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria Christopher Columbus had three ships on his first voyage, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Columbus sailed from Palos de la Frontera on 3 August, 1492. His flagship, the Santa Maria had 52 men aboard while his other two ships, the Nina and Pinta were each crewed by 18 men. The Santa Maria was a nao, was a bit of a tub, and was not able to go near the coastline.

But was able to carry a lot of cargo, and it was able to stand up well in bad weather. The Niña, the Pinta were caravels, with a shallower draft than a nao, did not have much cargo space, but were able to explore shallow bays and the mouths of rivers. A carvel was square-rigged on its foremasts and mainmasts, but used a lateen sail on the mizzen to help in tacking. A caravel had about twenty crew members, who slept on the deck and would go below only if the weather was bad. The crew were gathered by Martín Alonso Pinzón (captain of the Pinta). They were experienced sea-men, and four of them had taken an offer from the Spanish throne for amnesty from prison if they took the voyage. Many of these sailors were from the nearby towns of Lepe and Moguer. Over several days, ships of Columbus's day would average a little less than 4 knots. Top speed for the vessels was about 8 knots, and minimum speed was zero. These speeds were quite typical for vessels of the period.

So overall, 90 or 100 miles in a day would be typical, and 200 phenomenal. Of the three ships on the first voyage, the Santa Maria was the slowest, and the Pinta was the fastest. The differences were not great over a long voyage. Santa Maria No one knows exactly what Columbus's Santa Maria was like. We can examine similar ships of the era. It was a nao, which simply means "ship" in old Spanish. She was fat and slow, designed for carrying cargo. It was a merchant ship, between 200-600 tons.The length of Santa Maria was about 18 meters, keel length 12 meters, beam 6 meters, and a draft about 2 meters. The Santa Maria was a rented vessel owned by Juan de la Cosa, who sailed with Columbus as the first officer. Formerly, known as the La Gallega since its owner was from Galicia, Columbus renamed the vessel Santa Maria. The Santa Maria had three masts (fore, main, and mizzen), each of which carried one large sail.

The foresail and mainsail were square; the sail on the mizzen, or rear, mast was a triangular sail known as a lateen. In addition, the ship carried a small square sail on the bowsprit, and small topsail on the mainmast above the mainsail. Most of the driving force of the craft was from the largest mainsail with the remaining sails used for trimming. The Santa Maria also had a crow’s nest on the mainmast. It had a raised stern. There was a forecastle in the bow of the ship. The ship ran aground off Hispaniola and had to be abandoned. The Pinta was captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón, an experienced mariner from the town of Moguer in Andalucia. Pinta was a caravel. We don't know much about Pinta, but it probably was about 70 tons, with a length of 17 meters, keel length 13 meters, beam 5 meters, and depth 2 meters. She probably had three masts, and most likely carried sails like those of Santa Maria, except for the topsail, and perhaps the spritsail. Niña.

Smallest of the fleet, captained by Vicente Añes Pinzón, brother of Martín. The Niña was another caravel of probably 50 or 60 tons. When she left Spain she had lateen sails on all masts; but she was refitted in the Canary Islands with square sails on the fore and main masts. Unlike most ships of the period, Niña may have had four masts, including a small counter-mizzen at the stern with another lateen sail. This would have made Niña the best of the three ships at sailing upwind. Length about 15 meters, keel length 12 meters, beam 5 meters, and depth 2 meters. 10 Things You May Not Know About Christopher Columbus - History in the Headlines 10 Things You May Not Know About Christopher Columbus October 5, 2012 By Christopher Klein Share Did Columbus really discover America? Get the full story.

Share this: 10 Things You May Not Know About Christopher Columbus Author 10 Things You May Not Know About Christopher Columbus URL Google On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus set foot on the fine white sands of an island in the Bahamas, unfurled the Spanish royal standard and claimed the territory for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Although Columbus thought he was in Asia, he had actually landed in the “New World.” History—for better and worse—would never be the same again. Here are 10 things you may not know about the famed explorer. 1. Columbus didn’t set out to prove the earth was round. Forget those myths perpetuated by everyone from Washington Irving to Bugs Bunny. There was no need for Columbus to debunk the flat-earthers—the ancient Greeks had already done so. As early as the sixth century B.C., the Greek mathematician Pythagoras surmised the world was round, and two centuries later Aristotle backed him up with astronomical observations. By 1492 most educated people knew the planet was not shaped like a pancake. 2. Columbus was likely not the first European to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

That distinction is generally given to the Norse Viking Leif Eriksson, who is believed to have landed in present-day Newfoundland around 1000 A.D., almost five centuries before Columbus set sail. Some historians even claim that Ireland’s Saint Brendan or other Celtic people crossed the Atlantic before Eriksson. While the United States commemorates Columbus—even though he never set foot on the North American mainland—with parades and a federal holiday, Leif Eriksson Day on October 9 receives little fanfare. 3. Three countries refused to back Columbus’ voyage. For nearly a decade, Columbus lobbied European monarchies to bankroll his quest to discover a western sea route to Asia. In Portugal, England and France, the response was the same: no. The experts told Columbus his calculations were wrong and that the voyage would take much longer than he thought. Royal advisors in Spain raised similar concerns to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Turns out the naysayers were right. Columbus dramatically underestimated the earth’s circumference and the size of the oceans. Luckily for him, he ran into the uncharted Americas. 4. Nina and Pinta were not the actual names of two of Columbus’ three ships.

In 15th-century Spain, ships were traditionally named after saints. Salty sailors, however, bestowed less-than-sacred nicknames upon their vessels. Mariners dubbed one of the three ships on Columbus’s 1492 voyage the Pinta, Spanish for “the painted one” or “prostitute.” The Santa Clara, meanwhile, was nicknamed the Nina in honor of its owner, Juan Nino. Although the Santa Maria is called by its official name, its nickname was La Gallega, after the province of Galicia in which it was built. 5. The Santa Maria wrecked on Columbus’ historic voyage. On Christmas Eve of 1492, a cabin boy ran Columbus’s flagship into a coral reef on the northern coast of Hispaniola, near present-day Cap Haitien, Haiti. Its crew spent a very un-merry Christmas salvaging the Santa Maria’s cargo. Columbus returned to Spain aboard the Nina, but he had to leave nearly 40 crewmembers behind to start the first European settlement in the Americas—La Navidad. When Columbus returned to the settlement in the fall of 1493, none of the crew were found alive. 6.

Columbus made four voyages to the New World. Although best known for his historic 1492 expedition, Columbus returned to the Americas three more times in the following decade. His voyages took him to Caribbean islands, South America and Central America. 7. Columbus returned to Spain in chains in 1500. Columbus’s governance of Hispaniola could be brutal and tyrannical. Native islanders who didn’t collect enough gold could have their hands cut off, and rebel Spanish colonists were executed at the gallows. Colonists complained to the monarchy about mismanagement, and a royal commissioner dispatched to Hispaniola arrested Columbus in August 1500 and brought him back to Spain in chains. Although Columbus was stripped of his governorship, King Ferdinand not only granted the explorer his freedom but subsidized a fourth voyage. 8. A lunar eclipse may have saved Columbus. In February 1504, a desperate Columbus was stranded in Jamaica, abandoned by half his crew and denied food by the islanders. The heavens that he relied on for navigation, however, would guide him safely once again.

Knowing from his almanac that a lunar eclipse was coming on February 29, 1504, Columbus warned the islanders that his god was upset with their refusal of food and that the moon would “rise inflamed with wrath” as an expression of divine displeasure. On the appointed night, the eclipse darkened the moon and turned it red, and the terrified islanders offered provisions and beseeched Columbus to ask his god for mercy. 9. Even in death, Columbus continued to cross the Atlantic. Following his death in 1506, Columbus was buried in Valladolid, Spain, and then moved to Seville. At the request of his daughter-in-law, the bodies of Columbus and his son Diego were shipped across the Atlantic to Hispaniola and interred in a Santo Domingo cathedral. When the French captured the island in 1795, the Spanish dug up remains thought to be those of the explorer and moved them to Cuba before returning them to Seville after the Spanish-American War in 1898. However, a box with human remains and the explorer’s name was discovered inside the Santo Domingo cathedral in 1877. Did the Spaniards exhume the wrong body?

DNA testing in 2006 found evidence that at least some of the remains in Seville are those of Columbus. The Dominican Republic has refused to let the other remains be tested. It could be possible that, aptly, pieces of Columbus are both in the New World and the Old World. 10. Heirs of Columbus and the Spanish monarchy were in litigation until 1790. After the death of Columbus, his heirs waged a lengthy legal battle with the Spanish crown, claiming that the monarchy short-changed them on money and profits due the explorer. Most of the Columbian lawsuits were settled by 1536, but the legal proceedings nearly dragged on until the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ famous voyage. Tags Christopher Columbus Biography By Christopher Minster Updated January 15, 2016. Christopher Columbus (1451- 1506) was a Genoese navigator and explorer. In the late fifteenth century, Columbus believed that it would be possible to reach the lucrative markets of eastern Asia by heading west, instead of the traditional route which went east around Africa.

He convinced Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain to support him, and he set off in August of 1492. The rest is history: Columbus discovered the Americas, which had been unknown until then. All in all, Columbus made four different journeys to the New World. Columbus’ Early Life: Columbus was born to a middle-class family of weavers in Genoa (now part of Italy) which was a city well-known for explorers. He rarely spoke of his parents: it is believed that he was ashamed to have come from such a mundane background. He left a sister and a brother behind in Italy: his other brothers Bartholomew and Diego would accompany him on most of his travels. As a young man he traveled extensively, visiting Africa and the Mediterranean and learning how to sail and navigate. continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World Appearance and Personal Habits: Columbus was tall and lean, and had red hair which turned prematurely white. He had a fair complexion and a somewhat reddish face, with blue eyes and a hawkish nose. He spoke Spanish fluently but with an accent which was difficult for people to place.

In his personal habits he was extremely religious and somewhat prudish: he rarely swore, attended mass regularly and often devoted his Sundays entirely to prayer. Later in life, his religiosity would increase: he took to wearing the simple robe of a barefoot friar around court. He was a fervent millenarist: he believed that the end of the world was near. Personal Life: Columbus married a Portuguese woman, Felipa Moniz Perestrelo, in 1477. She came from a semi-noble family with useful maritime connections. She died giving birth to a son, Diego, in 1479 or 1480. In 1485, while in Córdoba, he met young Beatriz Enríquez de Trasierra, and they lived together for a time. She bore him an illegitimate son, Fernando. Columbus made many friends during his travels and he corresponded with them frequently. His friends included Dukes and other noblemen as well as powerful Italian merchants. These friendships would prove useful during his frequent hardships and bouts of bad luck.

A Journey West: Columbus may have conceived of the idea of sailing west to reach Asia as early as 1481 due to his correspondence with an Italian scholar, Paolo del Pozzo Toscaneli, who convinced him it was possible. In 1484, Columbus made a pitch to King João of Portugal, who turned him down. Columbus proceeded to Spain, where he first proposed such a trip in January of 1486. Ferdinand and Isabella were intrigued, but they were occupied with the reconquest of Granada . They told Columbus to wait. In 1492, Columbus had just about given up (in fact, he was on his way to see the King of France) when they decided to sponsor his trip. Columbus’ First Voyage: Columbus’ first voyage began on August 3, 1492. He had been given three ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the flagship Santa Maria . They headed west and on October 12, sailor Rodrigo de Triana spotted land. They first landed on an island Columbus named San Salvador: there is some debate today as to which Caribbean island it was.

Columbus and his ships visited several other islands including Cuba and Hispaniola. On December 25, the Santa Maria ran aground and they were forced to abandon her. Thirty-nine men were left behind at the settlement of La Navidad . Columbus returned to Spain in March of 1493. Columbus’ Second Voyage: Although in many ways the first voyage was a failure – Columbus lost his biggest ship and did not find the promised route west – the Spanish monarchs were intrigued with his discoveries. They financed a second voyage , whose purpose was to establish a permanent colony. 17 ships and over 1,000 men set sail in October, 1493. When they returned to La Navidad, they discovered that everyone had been killed by irate natives. They founded the city of Santo Domingo with Columbus in charge, but he was forced to return to Spain in March of 1496 to obtain supplies to keep the starving colony alive. Columbus’ Third Voyage: Columbus returned to the New World in May of 1498. He sent half of his fleet to resupply Santo Domingo and set off to explore, eventually reaching the north-eastern part of South America .

He returned to Hispaniola and resumed his duties as governor, but the people despised him. He and his brothers were bad administrators and kept much of the little wealth generated by the colony for themselves. When the crisis reached a peak, Columbus sent to Span for help. The crown sent Francisco de Bobadilla as governor: he soon identified Columbus as the problem and sent him and his brothers back to Spain in chains in 1500. Columbus’ Fourth Voyage: Already in his fifties, Columbus felt he had one more trip in him. He convinced the Spanish crown to finance one more journey of discovery . Although Columbus had proven a poor governor, there was no doubting his sailing and discovery skills. He left in May of 1502 and arrived to Hispaniola just ahead of a major hurricane. He sent a warning to the 28-ship fleet about to depart for Spain to delay but they ignored him, and 24 of the ships were lost. Columbus explored more of the Caribbean and part of Central America before his ships rotted: he spent a year on Jamaica before being rescued. He returned to Spain in 1504.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus: Columbus’ legacy can be difficult to sort out . For many years, he was thought to have been the man who “discovered” America. Modern historians believe that the first Europeans to the New World were Nordic and arrived several hundred years before Columbus to the northern shores of North America. Also, many Native Americans from Alaska to Chile dispute the notion that the Americas needed to be “discovered” in the first place, as the two continents were home to millions of people and countless cultures in 1492. Columbus’ accomplishments should be considered in conjunction with his failures. The “discovery” of America would certainly have taken place within 50 years of 1492 had Columbus not ventured west when he did: advances in navigation and ship construction made contact between the hemispheres inevitable. Columbus’ motives were mostly monetary, with religion a close second. When he failed to find gold or a lucrative trade route, he began collecting slaves: he believed that a trans-Atlantic slave trade would be quite lucrative. Fortunately, the Spanish monarchs outlawed this, but still, many Native American groups correctly remember Columbus as the New World’s first slaver. Columbus’ ventures were often failures.

He lost the Santa María on his first voyage, his first colony was massacred, he was a terrible governor, he was arrested by his own colonists and on his fourth and last voyage he managed to strand some 200 men on Jamaica for a year. Perhaps his greatest failure was his inability to see what was right before him: the New World. Columbus never accepted that he had not found Asia, even when the rest of Europe was convinced that the Americas were something previously unknown. Columbus’ legacy was once very bright – he was considered for sainthood at one time – but now he is remembered as much for the bad as the good. Many places still bear his name and Columbus Day is still celebrated, but he is once again a man and not a legend. Sources: Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present.. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962 Thomas, Hugh. Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan. New York: Random House, 2005.

Question: Which explorer took the three ships, Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria on his journey to the New World?
Answer: Christopher Columbus