When did Christopher Columbus discover America?
CHRISTOPHER Columbus may have stumbled upon the Americas, but his accidental discovery has changed the course of history.
The Italian explorer's travels bridged the gap between Europe and the New World, but his curiosity also marked the beginning of centuries of transatlantic colonization.
We know of his famous journey across the Atlantic, but here's more on Columbus and when he reached the New World.
Who is Christopher Columbus?
Columbus was an Italian explorer who convinced Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile to support his journey of discovery.
He is best known for kicking off the European exploration in the Americas, which led to an increase in the trade of food and other resources around the world.
Although he's remembered as a ground-breaking explorer, critics say his actions led to the transatlantic slave trade and the mass killing and exploitation of indigenous people.
When did Christopher Columbus discover America?
The navigator stumbled across America in 1492 after setting sail from Spain with a crew of three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María.
He set out to find a direct route from Europe to Asia.
What part of America did Columbus discover?
Although he's best known for "discovering" North America, it's a common misconception - Columbus actually set foot in South America when he arrived in the New World.
He landed at the Paria Peninsula in what is modern-day Venezuela, according to HISTORY.
On Oct. 12, 1492, his expedition more than likely found Watling Island in the Bahamas and claimed the land for Spain.
Columbus found Cuba later that month, and in December his crew landed on Hispanola, where he established a colony with 39 of his men before returning to Spain with Native captives he called "Indians."
He also explored the Central and South American coasts, according to the Washington Post.
Why is Christopher Columbus considered racist?
Columbus' legacy of exploration has been marred by his brutal and violent treatment of Native people.
The viceroy decimated the Taino population on Hispanola - of the roughly 250,000 Tainos living on the island upon his arrival, only a few hundred remained within 60 years of his landing, HISTORY says.
The colonizer shipped and sold enslaved Tainos to Spain and saw indigenous people in the areas he visited as "obstacles."
Activists and Indigenous people around the country argue that Columbus represents genocide and slavery.
As America reckons with its long history of racism, statues of the explorer have been taken down as part of a national movement to remove racist symbols such as the Confederate flag.
What was America called before America?
Before Norse Viking Leif Eriksson or Columbus stumbled across North America, Indigenous people referred to the landmass as Turtle Island, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia.
The name comes from different Indigenous oral histories that tell tales of a turtle that holds the world on its back.
It also speaks to the belief of various Indigenous people that the shelled reptile is an icon of life, autonomy, and a deep respect for the environment.
Many Algonquians - and Iroquoian-speaking people in the northeastern US - still refer to the mainland as Turtle Island.
