Columbus Sails West: Discovery of the Americas Begins
Christopher Columbus departed Palos de la Frontera on August 3, 1492, with three ships and roughly 90 men, heading west across the Atlantic on a voyage financed by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain after Portugal, France, and England had all rejected his proposal. Columbus believed the distance to Asia was far shorter than it actually was; every geographer who reviewed his calculations told him he was wrong. They were right. Had the Americas not existed, Columbus and his crew would have died of thirst in the open ocean. After 36 days at sea, they spotted land in the Bahamas on October 12, initiating permanent contact between Europe and the Americas that reshaped human history.
August 3, 1492
534 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Spain
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Christopher Columbus
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Palos de la Frontera
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Christopher Columbus
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Palos de la Frontera
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Spain
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Catholic Monarchs of Spain
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Alhambra Decree
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East Indies
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Americas
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Santa Maria
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Niña (ship)
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La Pinta
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first expedition
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Frederick of Lorraine became pope in 1057, taking the name Stephen IX, and immediately pushed church reform with a zeal that rattled the Roman aristocracy. He b…
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