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Christopher Columbus

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born

Genoa, Italy

died

May 10, 1506

gender

male

genre

Nonfiction, Biographies & Memoirs

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Christopher Columbus (c. 1451–1506) was a Genoese navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere. Although not the first to reach the Americas from Europe—he was preceded by the Norse, led by Leif Ericson, who built a temporary settlement 500 years earlier at L'Anse aux Meadows — Columbus initiated widespread contact between Europeans and indigenous Americans. With his four voyages of discovery and several attempts at establishing a settlement on the island of Hispaniola, all funded by Queen Isabella of Spain, he initiated the process of Spanish colonization which foreshadowed general European colonization of the "New World." (T...more Christopher Columbus (c. 1451–1506) was a Genoese navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere. Although not the first to reach the Americas from Europe—he was preceded by the Norse, led by Leif Ericson, who built a temporary settlement 500 years earlier at L'Anse aux Meadows — Columbus initiated widespread contact between Europeans and indigenous Americans. With his four voyages of discovery and several attempts at establishing a settlement on the island of Hispaniola, all funded by Queen Isabella of Spain, he initiated the process of Spanish colonization which foreshadowed general European colonization of the "New World." (The term "pre-Columbian" is usually used to refer to the peoples and cultures of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus and his European successors.)

His initial 1492 voyage came at a critical time of growing national imperialism and economic competition between developing nation states seeking wealth from the establishment of trade routes and colonies. In this sociopolitical climate, Columbus's far-fetched scheme won the attention of Queen Isabella of Spain. Severely underestimating the circumference of the Earth, he estimated that a westward route from Iberia to the Indies would be shorter and more direct than the overland trade route through Arabia. If true, this would allow Spain entry into the lucrative spice trade — heretofore commanded by the Arabs and Italians. Following his plotted course, he instead landed within the Bahamas Archipelago at a locale he named San Salvador. Mistaking the North-American island for the East-Asian mainland, he referred to its inhabitants as "Indios".

Academic consensus is that Columbus was born in Genoa, though there are other theories. The name Christopher Columbus is the Anglicisation of the Latin Christophorus Columbus. The original name in 15th century Genoese language was Christoffa Corombo. The name is rendered in modern Italian as Cristoforo Colombo, in Portuguese as Cristóvão Colombo (formerly Christovam Colom), and in Spanish as Cristóbal Colón.

The anniversary of Columbus's 1492 landing in the Americas is observed as Columbus Day on October 12 in Spain and throughout the Americas, except that in the United States it is observed on the second Monday in October.
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Average rating: 3.12 · 136 ratings · 22 reviews · 86 distinct works

	The Four Voyages: Being His Own Log-Book, Letters and Dispatches with Connecting Narratives by Christopher Columbus, J. M. Cohen (Translation) 3.01 avg rating — 90 ratings — published 1969 — 9 editions	My rating:
	I, Columbus: My Journal 1492-1493 3.25 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 1990 — 2 editions	My rating:
	The Log of Christopher Columbus by Christopher Columbus, Robert H. Fuson 3.12 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 1985 — 34 editions	My rating:
	The Voyages Of Christopher Columbus[Being The Journals Of His First And Third, And The Letters Concerning His First And Last Voyages, To Which Is Added The Account Of His Second Voyage Written By Andres Bernaldez 3.80 avg rating — 5 ratings — 2 editions	My rating:
	The Letter of Colombus on the Discovery of America: A Facsimile Reprint of the Pictorial Edition of 1493, with a Literal Translation, and an Introduct by Christopher Columbus, Wilberforce Eames 3.33 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 1992 — 11 editions	My rating:
	Textos Y Documentos Completos. Relaciones De Viajes, Cartas Y Memoriales (Coleccion Universidad) (Alianza Universidad) 3.50 avg rating — 4 ratings	My rating:
	Log of Chris Columbus 3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1992	My rating:
	La découverte de l'Amérique : Tome 1, Journal de bord et autres écrits, 1492-1493 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2006	My rating:
	The Log of Christopher Columbus' First Voyage to America in the Year 1492 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2010	My rating:
	Christopher Columbus's Book of Prophecies: Reproduction of the Original Manuscript With English Translation 2.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1991	My rating:

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Quotes by Christopher Columbus

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
― Christopher Columbus

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“You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore”
― Christopher Columbus

tags: inspirational

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“The sea will grant each man new hope
The sleep brings dreams of home.”
― Christopher Columbus, The Journal of Christopher Columbus (during His First Voyage, 1492-93) and Documents Relating to the Voyages of John Cabot and Gaspar Corte Real

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