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Christopher Columbus

by Eric from Roxboro

Christopher (http://library.thinkquest.org/18355/media/ColumbusStanding.JPG)
Christopher (http://library.thinkquest.org/18355/media/ColumbusStanding.JPG)

My hero is Christopher Columbus. People really don't tell where he was born but some people say he was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. He sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a route to Asia but achieved fame by making landfall in the Americas.

In October 12, 1492, two worlds unknown to each other met for the first time on a small island in the Caribbean Sea. Christopher Columbus was on a voyage for Spain in search of a direct sea route from Europe to Asia but came upon the Americas. Christopher was only fourteen. When he served on various ships in various roles including messenger, common sailor, and perhaps even as a twenty-one year old privateer.


After success of finding this new land, Columbus set sail west again on September 23, 1493 with 17 ships and 1200 men. The purpose of this journey was to establish colonies in the name of Spain, check on the crew at Navidad, and continue his search for all the riches. The third voyage began on May 30, 1498 he took a more southern route than the other two. Columbus found Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and Margarita, on July 31.

Columbus's 4th voyage began on May 9, 1502 and he came to Hispaniola in June. He was forbidden from entering the colony so he continued to explore farther. On July 4, he set sail again and found Central America. After that Columbus went to Spain on November 7, 1504. When he arrived there he settled with his son. Columbus became ill and died on may 20, 1506.

Columbus was famous for all of his discoveries around the world. Despite of all of his fame, Columbus was not the first to visit the Americas. He was the first European. Others settled, visited, and stayed on the new lands long before Columbus. Various indigenous peoples had settled and explored different areas.

Page created on 12/20/2008 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 12/20/2008 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

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