Cristopher Columbus

          

Cristopher Columbus was born in 1451 in the republic of Genoa, Italy and died in 1506. He is famous for his exploration and discoveries. His father was Domenico Colombo, a middle class wool weaver who worked both in Domenico and Savona and who also owned a cheese stand where Cristopher was as helper. His first voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in 1476 nearly cost him his life. He completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. Those voyages, and his efforts to establish permanent settlements on the island of Hispaniola, initiated the Spanish colonization of the world. Throughout his explorations, he discovered trade routes between European kingdoms and colonies. During his first voyage, instead of reaching Japan as he intended, Columbus discovered the new world, landing in the Bahamas archipelago, on an island he named San Salvador.  Over the course of three more voyages, Columbus visited the Greater and Lesser Antilles, as well as the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and Central America, claiming them for the Spanish Empire.