Columbus

Day!

Why Do We
Celebrate It?
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Remember the Year!
In 1492,
Columbus sailed
the ocean blue.
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Before You Read - Words To Know
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Christopher Columbus

In 1451, Christopher Columbus was
born in Genoa, Italy. He had many
brothers and sisters. His family did
not have a lot of money.
When Columbus was a young man,
he worked on ships. He sailed
around the Mediterranean Sea.
Once he tried to sail to England, but
he got shipwrecked in Portugal.
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In 1486, Columbus went to Queen
Isabella of Spain. He told her that he
wanted to sail west across the
Atlantic to find the East Indies in Asia.
There were lots of expensive spices
and gold in Asia. Columbus
promised to bring them back for the
queen if she would help pay for his
ships and crew. He also promised to
claim new lands for Spain.
Queen Isabella
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Three Ships

Queen Isabella purchased three
ships for Columbus. He named
them the Nia, the Pinta, and
the Santa Mara. Columbus
hired about 90 sailors to help
with the voyage. The Santa
Mara was larger than the other
two ships. This is the one
Columbus chose to sail himself.
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Danger Ahead!
Many sailors in those days
believed that sailing west
across the sea was very
dangerous. Some thought
giant sea monsters would
attack them. Others thought
that they could fall off the
edge of the world because
they believed the world was
flat, not round! Columbus
was certain they would safely
find a shorter route to Asia.
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