The Italian explorer Christopher Columbus saw an island in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, leading him to believe that he had reached East Asia. On the same day, he went to the beach with his companions and demanded that Spain, which had funded his quest to find the Western Ocean Road leading to China, India, and the Gold Islands, take ownership of the land.
Little is known about Columbus’ early years, but he worked as a sailor and later as a naval businessman. He got fixated on the idea of opening a western sea route to China, India, gold, and spices in Asia. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451.
According to the Hetteria website, during the time, there was no direct marine route from Europe to South Asia, and the Ottoman Empire had blocked several land routes as well as the route through Egypt and the Red Sea for Europeans.
Contrary to popular belief, the Europeans of Columbus’ time learned that the Earth is spherical, as Saint Isidor argued in the seventh century. However, Columbus, like the majority of the others, reduced the size of the world by calculating that East Asia should almost fall into the location of North America. They were unaware that the Pacific Ocean even existed, as noted on the globe.
“Columbus met with King John II, King of Portugal, and tried to convince him to support the “Indian Islands Project,” as he called his plan. His project was rejected, and he then went to Spain, where he was rejected by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella at least twice, but the Spanish kings ultimately agreed to support his journey.
Tale of 1492: Columbus arrived in the “New World.”
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