The truth, however, is a bit different than the legend would suggest. Claire Nowak Updated: Sep. 29, 2020. iStock/gbarm . Since his voyages were primarily economic in nature, Columbus was expected to find something valuable on his travels. His ships encountered a hurricane but managed to weather it, and then sailed to Guanaja Island and Honduras. At the time, he was only 19 years of age. Columbus died in Spain in 1506, and his remains were kept there for a while before being sent to Santo Domingo in 1537. The corn and potatoes became important food crops there. Since then, two cities—Seville, Spain, and Santo Domingo—claim to have his remains. Other people did not believe him, and he may have been wrong, but he continued to work hard for what he believed in. Christopher Columbus Facts – Facts about Christopher Columbus Summary Christopher Columbus was born between October 31 1450 and October 30 1451 in Genoa, Republic of Genoa, which lies in today’s Italy. Write for us | Columbus often referred to himself as Xpoual de Coló. However, once the French captured the island in 1795, his remains were dug up and moved first to Cuba, and then back to Seville. The attacks became more intense and more frequent, which caused Columbus to be bedridden for longer periods of time and eventually led to his death 14 years later. His father was a wool weaver who also owned a cheese stand. This syndrome is basically a presentation of reactive arthritis, an inflammation of joints, which is caused either by intestinal bacterial infections or after acquiring certain STDs. But English is not the only language that changed his name: the Spanish called him Cristóbal Colón, the Swedes named him Kristoffer Kolumbus and, in Latin, Columbus’ name is Christophorus Columbus. They gave him the money to buy three ships – the Santa Maria, the Nina and the Pinta. Jose Maria Obregon/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0. The new governor was far worse. He is often remembered as a brave hero, who went in search of a new world. While many schoolbooks present Christopher Columbus as the famous explorer who discovered America, history has painted a much more complicated picture. padding-left: 32px; Columbus and his brothers would routinely torture and kill native people. *, Between October 31 1450 and October 30 1451, May 20 1506 in Valladolid, Crown of Castile, Admiral of the Ocean Sea, Viceroy and Governor of the Indies, Four journeys across the Atlantic and discovery of the New World, Christopher Columbus Day on second Monday in October in the US, Asteroid 327 Columbia is named in Columbus’ honour, Christopher Columbus’ Name Was Not Really Christopher Columbus, Christopher Columbus First Went to Sea at the Age of 10, Christopher Columbus Had Lots of Problems Getting Sponsors to Fund His Voyages, Columbus’ First Journey into the Atlantic Almost Cost Him His Life, Christopher Columbus’ First Voyage Took Him to the Bahamas, Cuba and Hispaniola, The Santa Maria Was Wrecked on Columbus’ First Voyage, The Second Voyage Took Columbus to Lesser Antilles, Jamaica and Hispaniola, On His Third Voyage, Columbus Discovered South America, Columbus Returned to Spain in Chains after His Third Voyage, Columbus Had to Be Rescued from His Fourth Voyage, 50 Chuck Norris Facts That Mainstream Media Wont Tell You, 120 Crazy Donald Trump Facts That Will Drive You Nuts, 50 Eccentric Facts About Kim Jong Un The Supreme Leader Of North Korea. Like Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, Columbus read many books. During Christmas of 1492, the Santa María was wrecked near Cap-Haïtien. } 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. background-size: 26px 26px; What we might consider a small journey now was quite an undertaking in those days. This was the beginning of poor treatment of the native people by Columbus and later explorers who would follow him. Where Are the Remains of Christopher Columbus? The first people to find the Americas were actually the Vikings, led by Erik the Red, in the year 985. Reports had circulated, and were confirmed by numerous witnesses, that Columbus and his brothers, including Bartholomew, were brutal in their rule of the land and people they discovered in the New World. He hung around the Spanish court for years, hoping to convince Ferdinand and Isabella to finance his journey. A committee of advisors who worked for Isabella reviewed Columbus’ idea and said that he had underestimated the circumference of the Earth and how long it would take to reach Asia by traveling west. color: #888; The exact date and location of Columbus’ birth are disputed. Sridhar1000/Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. The main reason why his expedition was not very popular was the fact that many experts believed that Columbus’ calculations to sail to Asia were wrong, and that the voyage would take much longer than planned. Later on, the expedition sailed to Cuba and to Hispaniola. Then, in 1476, when Columbus was twenty-five, the ships that he was sailing with were attacked by French Pirates. Christmas Facts For Kids (Fun & Festive! Rather than a one trick wonder, he completed the voyage 2 more times after that, giving him a total of 4 transatlantic crossings to his name. He read books by Marco Polo, the adventurer; Ptolemy, the astronomer; and Pliny, the philosopher. His heirs and the Spanish monarchy spent many years in litigation, which only ended in 1790. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Please support Cool Kid Facts by emailing or sharing! By the time of his death, he was the laughing stock of the whole Europe, because he was simply too stubborn to give up on his theories and accept the obvious. The Turkish Empire conquered Constantinople and established rule. Even though Christopher Columbus facts suggest that he did not find a new passage to Asia but discovered a new continent instead, he denied this until his very last breath. cursor: pointer; height: 28px; The source of the spices was in and around what is now modern day India. Columbus later claimed that he was the first to spot land a few hours earlier. 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