Search results
People also ask
What do we really know about Christopher Columbus?
How many voyages did Christopher Columbus make?
Did Christopher Columbus discover the Americas?
Was Columbus motivated by God?
Oct 13, 2019 · Columbus was the first explorer to discover America. False: Scholars believe it was Viking Leif Erickson who first came from overseas to America. In fact, they believe Columbus wasn’t even the ...
- Columbus didn’t set out to prove the earth was round. The Real Story of Columbus. Forget those myths perpetuated by everyone from Washington Irving to Bugs Bunny.
- Columbus was likely not the first European to cross the Atlantic Ocean. History Lists: Explorers Not Named Columbus. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- He was a violent man. Las Casas spoke of Columbus’ “sweetness and benignity.” Far from being a violent man, he often got into difficulties because he would be indulgent — toward natives and Spaniards — and would then take extreme measures against both when things got out of hand.
- He committed genocide. There was no “genocide” during these early voyages, though many natives died from unfamiliar diseases and clashes between two very different cultures.
- He instituted the slave trade. Columbus was not interested in the slave trade; his goal was to set up a trading post or, later, an agricultural colony on the island of Hispaniola, today’s Dominican Republic and Haiti.
- He had only worldly interests. People often claim that Columbus was motivated by “God, gold and glory,” but assume God was just a cover for worldly interests.
- Christopher Columbus Wasn't His Real Name. Christopher Columbus is an Anglicization of his real name, given to him in Genoa where he was born: Cristoforo Colombo.
- He Almost Never Got to Make His Historic Journey. Columbus became convinced of the possibility of reaching Asia by traveling west, but getting the funding to go was a hard sell in Europe.
- He Was a Cheapskate. On his famous 1492 voyage, Columbus had promised a reward of gold to whoever saw land first. 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.
- Half of His Voyages Ended in Disaster. 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.
Nov 9, 2009 · The explorer Christopher Columbus made four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. His most famous was his first voyage, commanding the ships the Nina, the...
Oct 10, 2011 · Guest host Tony Cox speaks with historian William Fowler to set the record straight on some of the popular myths surrounding Christopher Columbus and his voyage. History Think You Know The...
After five centuries, Columbus remains a mysterious and controversial figure who has been variously described as one of the greatest mariners in history, a visionary genius, a mystic, a national hero, a failed administrator, a naive entrepreneur, and a ruthless and greedy imperialist.
