Christopher Columbus
(1451–1506)

The family of Christopher Columbus had lived in Genoa, Italy, for at least as far back as three generations before he was born there in 1451. His family worked in the manufacturing and trading of woolen fabrics. However, Columbus's interests were in sailing and exploring. Letters written by Columbus reveal his career as a mariner on merchant and war ships in the Mediterranean from his early twenties on.

In 1476, Columbus was wounded in a battle at sea off the coast of Portugal. He swam to shore and remained in Portugal for several years. While in Portugal, he married the daughter of a Portuguese officer. Tragically, his wife died shortly after the birth of their son, Diego.

After his wife died, Columbus focused his thoughts on discovery plans. He strongly believed that Asia could be reached faster and easier by sailing west across the Atlantic. In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to finance Columbus's voyage of exploration across the Atlantic. He took a crew of about 90 men in three ships—the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina—on his voyage. On October 12, 1492, they landed on an island in the Bahamas called Guanahani that Columbus renamed San Salvador, meaning "Holy Savior." He then continued to explore the Caribbean.

In 1493, Columbus returned to Spain to receive honors from Ferdinand and Isabella for his findings. In the years that followed, Columbus took three more transatlantic voyages. After his final voyage, he returned to Spain in 1504. He died two years later.

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