Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about Christopher Columbus?
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It’s time to chat about Christopher Columbus facts.
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Facts about Christopher Columbus
1 – Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. His full name is Cristoforo Colombo and he died on May 20th 1506 at Valladolid, Spain.
2 – Christopher Columbus is most famous for sailing the ocean blue in 1492 and discovering America.
3 – He sailed to the New World with three ships (the Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta) in 1492 and landed on an island that he called San Salvador; it is now known as Watling Island.
4 – He didn’t know how big America was when he landed in what is now known as Haiti. The natives were very friendly with him and helped him find his way home. Columbus never set foot on North American soil.
5 – Columbus married Felipa Perestrello Moniz Perestrelo who he met while at sea near Portugal. He and Filipa Moniz Perestrelo had 3 children – Diego, Ferdinand, and Isabella.
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6 – His first voyage to the Americas took place in 1492 after being commissioned by King Ferdinand of Spain and Queen Isabella I of Castile.
7 – On October 12th, 1492 he set sail from Palos de la Frontera with three ships – the Santa Maria, La Pinta and La Niña.
9 – Columbus returned to Europe on March 15th, 1493 with a cargo of gold and spices (pepper).
10 – Upon his arrival back to Spain he became famous as “The Admiral” or “The Great Admiral.”
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11 – His family was wealthy and he became a merchant at age 15.
12 – After his first voyage to the Western hemisphere, Columbus made four more trips back to America before dying of illness in 1506.
13 – While he did not discover any more continents, he did prove that it would be possible to sail westward from Europe to Asia and Africa without having to go around Africa or South America.
14 – His explorations led him to believe that Earth is round.
15 – When Christopher Columbus set sail on his final voyage in 1502 he had with him a crew of 1,200 men and 17 ships.
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16 – Columbus had a lot of hardships during his journey including storms at sea, bad food supplies and illness among his crew members.
After being gone from home for eight years, he returned to Europe where he was welcomed by royalty and given many rewards for discovering new territories.
17 – The US celebrates his voyage with a holiday called Columbus Day every year on October 12th.
18 – His original name is Cristoforo Colombo but he changed his name to Christopher Columbus because it sounded more Italian and people would be more willing to help him out with funding for his voyage.
19 – His father was a wool weaver and his mother was a silk merchant and had a sister named Bianchinetta and three brothers named Bartolomeo, Bartholomew and Giacomo.
20 – His journey across the Atlantic Ocean opened up a new era of exploration and discovery.
During his voyages he discovered many new plants including tomatoes, corn, potatoes, pineapples, guavas and peanuts.
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21 – The purpose of his journey was to find a trade route from Europe to Asia by way of an easier passage than the one around Africa and Arabia. He never found this route but he did explore much of Central America and the Caribbean Sea.
22 – His voyage has been called “the greatest achievement of the Middle Ages.”
23 – He is known for being the first European to explore the Americas and pave the way for future exploration of North America by other Europeans. In his lifetime he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean four times.
24 – His last words were “I have completed my voyage.” He died at the age of 54 on May 20, 1506 probably due to severe arthritis and his remains were buried in Valladolid, Spain.
25 – The legacy of Christopher Columbus includes both great accomplishments and terrible mistakes but there is no denying that his voyages altered the course of history for centuries to come. He died still believing he had discovered a shorter route to Asia.
