Christopher Columbus

1. We don’t know the exact date of the birth of Christopher Columbus, but
we do know that he was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451, probably between the
months of August and October.

2. Christopher Columbus would first learn to sail in a wooden ship with

sails. He taught himself to navigate at sea using the sun and the stars.

3. People weren’t especially keen to give Christopher Columbus money for

his travels. He was turned down by King John II of Portugal. Finally, Queen
Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain agreed to give him funds for his
voyages.

4. Plus, Christopher Columbus had trouble finding a crew because many

people at that time believed that the earth was flat and that the ship would
simply fall off the edge of the world.

5. Life at sea aboard the ships was very hard. Many of the crew fell
seriously ill from scurvy, which is a lack of Vitamin C caused by not eating
enough fruit and vegetables.

6. People often say that Christopher Columbus discovered America, but

this isn’t actually true. The First Native Americans were already living in
America at that time and there is evidence a Viking called Leif Eriksson
had visited America 500 years earlier.

7. Christopher Columbus brought new foods back to Europe from the

Americas. These included avocados, corn, pumpkins and pineapples.

8. Christopher Columbus traveled four times to the Americas. He named

the area of the Caribbean islands the New World.

9. On his fourth trip, his intention was still to reach Asia. However, he ended
up in Central America. His boat had fallen into pieces and he had to wait
an entire year before he could return to Europe.

10. When he returned, he became very ill. He died in 1506.

11. It was not long before Christopher Columbus and his crew began to use
the Indigenous peoples as servants.

12. Even worse, many were then taken as prisoners.

13. These prisoners became enslaved and were transported back to Spain
against their will, where they suffered torture, inhumane working
conditions and the loss of their freedom.

14. Christopher Columbus and his crew also brought diseases such as
smallpox, measles and influenza to the islands. Before they arrived, these
illnesses did not exist in the Americas.

15. These diseases had a terrible effect on the Indigenous peoples of the
islands. Within 100 years, 95% of the population would die because of these
diseases.