Christopher Columbus was born at before 31 october 1451 in the Republic of Genoa,

or what is now Italy. In his 20s he moved to Lisbon, Portugal, and later resettled in Spain,

which remained his home base for the duration of his life., As a teenager, Christopher began

his career by working on several merchandise in various professions, but according to various

sources of his work on the ship did not last long after the boat was aboard burned and drowned

by pirates. but he managed to survive by way of fussing on the woods of the remains of the

ship and drifted floating as far as 6 miles. With his real name Christoforo Colombo he was a

Portugese army. Christopher Columbus had a mystic belief that God intended him to sail the

Atlantic Ocean in order to spread Christianity. He said his prayers several times daily.

Columbus wrote what he called a Book of Prophecies, which is a compilation of passages

Columbus selected from the Bible which he believed were pertinent to his mission of

discovery.

Christopher Columbus was very sure that the earth was round and he wanted to perform

his project to reach India (the spices land) sailing westward through the Atlantic ocean. His

project consisted of finding a new and shorter trade route to Asia to obtain silk and spices.

First he tryed to convince the crown of portugal since they were very interested in spices.

Christopher columbus was going to ask the Prince of Portugal but sadly he died. Columbus

then waited till his haer, King John, that inherited the thrown and asked him. He turned him

down because he didnt want to loose any money in something he thought stupid because he

didnt believe the earth was round, so he told him he wasnt interested in his idea since he was

already comited trading with asia by the sea route that passed trough the south of Africa andthat

if the earth was round it would take longer. With bad luck he asked help to King John of

Portugal, who liked Columbus´s idea, but priests and professors interposed controlling

objections. The king however sent a caravel ostensibly with provisions for the Cape Verde

Islands, but with secret instructions to the commander to pursue a course westward indicated
by Columbus. The fears of the mariners caused them to turn back.

Columbus waited for seven years in the army as a volunteer while the Spanish monarchs were

finishing the Reconquest. Columbus again tried to get sponsorship support from the kingdom

to travel back to sea. But he failed to win the support of France and England, then Columbus

settled in Spain, and still struggled to get support for his explorers project. Finally, King

Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to sponsor this expedition, Queen Isabella wanted to sell

her crown jewels to pay for the expedition. An agreement was signed by their Majesties and

Columbus at Santa Fe, April 17, 1492, by which he and his heirs should forever have the office

of admiral over all lands he might discover, with honors equal to those of Grand Admiral of

Castile.

And on 3 August 1492, Columbus and his fleet of three ships of Santa Maria Pinta and

Niña, sailed across the Atlantic. The Santa Maria was a nao of about 36m long and 3 masts.

Its owner was Juan de la Cosa. It has a crew of 40 men, and it was commanded by Christopher

Columbus. It was also called " La gallega " because it was built in Pontevedra, Galicia.

The Niña was a caravel commanded by Vicente Yáñez. It was built in Palos de Monger by its

residents. It was around 45 feet long. They called it " Santa Clara " in honour to the monastery

of Palos. Around 20 men sailed it. And The Pinta was a caravel commanded Martín Aloso Pinzón.

It was rented from Gomez Rascón and Cristobal Quintero. 26 sailors went in it. Francisco Pinzón was

master of the Pinta. Martín Alonso Pinzón reached the 15 miles with this caravel.

Instruments

They took different navigational instruments for the different circumstances that could occur
in their voyage in search of the spices.
The navigational instuments that they prepared were:

Cross staff: Were used to calculate distances.

Astrolabes: Was an instrument used by astronomers to travel in the night orientating

themselves with the celestial bodies in the sky.
Marine Chronometres: Were used to keep track of time.
Hourglasses: Were clocks that worked with sand.

Compasses: Were and are an orientation device that indicates north, south, east and west.

ancient Maps: Were two dimensional drawings that showed territories.

Portulan Maps: Were maps used to indicate available ports, known lands and the best places
to sail.
Quadrants: Were instruments used to measure angles up to 90°.

After 36 days of sailing westward across the Atlantic, Columbus and several crewmen

set foot on an island in the present day Bahamas, claiming it for Spain. There he encountered

a timid but friendly group of natives who were open to trade with the sailors, exchanging glass

beads, cotton balls, parrots and spears. The Europeans also noticed bits of gold the natives wore

for adornment.

Columbus and his men continued their journey, visiting the islands of Cuba (which he

thought was mainland China) and Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which

Columbus thought might be Japan) and meeting with the leaders of the native population.

During this time, the Santa Maria was wrecked on a reef off the coast of Hispaniola. With the

help of some islanders, Columbus' men salvaged what they could and built the settlement Villa

de la Navidad ("Christmas Town") with lumber from the ship. Thirty-nine men stayed behind

to occupy the settlement. Convinced his exploration had reached Asia, he set sail for home with

the two remaining ships. Returning to Spain in 1493, Columbus gave a glowing, somewhat

exaggerated report and was warmly received by the royal court.

In 1493, Columbus took to the seas on his second expedition and explored more islands

in the Caribbean Ocean. Upon arrival at Hispaniola, Columbus and his crew discovered the

Navidad settlement had been destroyed with all the sailors massacred. Spurning the wishes of

the queen, who found slavery offensive, Columbus established a forced labor policy over the
native population to rebuild the settlement and explore for gold, believing it would prove to be

profitable. His efforts produced small amounts of gold and great hatred among the native

population. Before returning to Spain, Columbus left his brothers Bartholomew and Diego to

govern the settlement on Hispaniola and sailed briefly around the larger Caribbean islands

further convincing himself he had discovered the outer islands of China.

It wasn't until his third voyage that Columbus actually reached the mainland, exploring

the Orinoco River in present-day Venezuela. Unfortunately, conditions at the Hispaniola

settlement had deteriorated to the point of near-mutiny, with settlers claiming they had been

misled by Columbus' claims of riches and complaining about the poor management of his

brothers. The Spanish Crown sent a royal official who arrested Columbus and stripped him of

his authority. He returned to Spain in chains to face the royal court. The charges were later

dropped, but Columbus lost his titles as governor of the Indies and, for a time, much of the

riches made during his voyages.

Fourth and final voyage

Convincing King Ferdinand that one more voyage would bring the abundant riches

promised, Columbus went on what would be his last voyage in 1502, traveling along the eastern

coast of Central America in an unsuccessful search for a route to the Indian Ocean. A storm

wrecked one of his ships stranding the captain and his sailors on the island of Cuba. During

this time, local islanders, tired of the Spaniards' poor treatment and obsession with gold, refused

to give them food. In a spark of inspiration, Columbus consulted an almanac and devised a plan

to "punish" the islanders by taking away the moon. On February 29, 1504, a lunar eclipse

alarmed the natives enough to re-establish trade with the Spaniards. A rescue party finally

arrived, sent by the royal governor of Hispaniola in July, and Columbus and his men were taken

back to Spain in November of 1504.

 In the two remaining years of his life following his last voyage to the Americas,

Columbus struggled to recover his lost titles. Although he did regain some of his riches in May

of 1505, his titles were never returned. He died May 20, 1506, still believing he had discovered

a shorter route to Asia.

Columbus has been credited for opening up the Americas to European colonization as

well as blamed for the destruction of the native peoples of the islands he explored. Ultimately,

he failed to find that what he set out for: a new route to Asia and the riches it promised.

In what is known as the Columbian Exchange, Columbus’ expeditions set in motion the

widespread transfer of people, plants, animals, diseases, and cultures that greatly affected

nearly every society on the planet. The horse from Europe allowed Native American tribes in

the Great Plains of North America to shift from a nomadic to a hunting lifestyle. Wheat from

the Old World fast became a main food source for people in the Americas. Coffee from Africa

and sugar cane from Asia became major cash crops for Latin American countries. And foods

from the Americas, such as potatoes, tomatoes and corn, became staples for Europeans and

helped increase their populations.

The Exchange also brought new diseases to both hemispheres, though the effects were

greatest in the Americas. Smallpox from the Old World decimated millions of the Native

American population to mere fractions of their original numbers. This more than any other

factor made for European domination of the Americas.

The overwhelming benefits of the Exchange went to the Europeans initially and

eventually to the rest of the world. The Americas were forever altered and the once vibrant and

rich cultures of the Native American civilizations were changed and lost, denying the world

any complete understanding of their existence.