columbus first trip to america

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Christopher Columbus

By: History.com Editors

Updated: August 11, 2023 | Original: November 9, 2009

The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas. Though he did not “discover” the so-called New World—millions of people already lived there—his journeys marked the beginning of centuries of exploration and colonization of North and South America.

Christopher Columbus and the Age of Discovery

During the 15th and 16th centuries, leaders of several European nations sponsored expeditions abroad in the hope that explorers would find great wealth and vast undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in this “ Age of Discovery ,” also known as “ Age of Exploration .”

Starting in about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped along the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods as well as enslaved people from Asia and Africa to Europe.

Did you know? Christopher Columbus was not the first person to propose that a person could reach Asia by sailing west from Europe. In fact, scholars argue that the idea is almost as old as the idea that the Earth is round. (That is, it dates back to early Rome.)

Other European nations, particularly Spain, were eager to share in the seemingly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end of the 15th century, Spain’s “ Reconquista ”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom after centuries of war—was complete, and the nation turned its attention to exploration and conquest in other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, the son of a wool merchant, is believed to have been born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. When he was still a teenager, he got a job on a merchant ship. He remained at sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his ship as it sailed north along the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the young Columbus floated to shore on a scrap of wood and made his way to Lisbon, where he eventually studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography and navigation. He also began to hatch the plan that would change the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the end of the 15th century, it was nearly impossible to reach Asia from Europe by land. The route was long and arduous, and encounters with hostile armies were difficult to avoid. Portuguese explorers solved this problem by taking to the sea: They sailed south along the West African coast and around the Cape of Good Hope.

But Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west across the Atlantic instead of around the massive African continent? The young navigator’s logic was sound, but his math was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that the journey by boat from Europe to Asia should be not only possible, but comparatively easy via an as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage . 

He presented his plan to officials in Portugal and England, but it was not until 1492 that he found a sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile .

Columbus wanted fame and fortune. Ferdinand and Isabella wanted the same, along with the opportunity to export Catholicism to lands across the globe. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was equally enthusiastic about this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of whatever riches he found, along with a noble title and the governorship of any lands he should encounter.

Where Did Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, Land?

On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships: the Niña , the Pinta and the Santa Maria . On October 12, the ships made landfall—not in the East Indies, as Columbus assumed, but on one of the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed from island to island in what we now know as the Caribbean, looking for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise whatsoever” that he had promised to his Spanish patrons, but he did not find much. In January 1493, leaving several dozen men behind in a makeshift settlement on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), he left for Spain.

He kept a detailed diary during his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written between August 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from the wildlife he encountered, like dolphins and birds, to the weather to the moods of his crew. More troublingly, it also recorded his initial impressions of the local people and his argument for why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features… They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”

Columbus gifted the journal to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later Voyages

About six months later, in September 1493, Columbus returned to the Americas. He found the Hispaniola settlement destroyed and left his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus behind to rebuild, along with part of his ships’ crew and hundreds of enslaved indigenous people.

Then he headed west to continue his mostly fruitless search for gold and other goods. His group now included a large number of indigenous people the Europeans had enslaved. In lieu of the material riches he had promised the Spanish monarchs, he sent some 500 enslaved people to Queen Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any people Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly returned the explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic for the third time. He visited Trinidad and the South American mainland before returning to the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, where the colonists had staged a bloody revolt against the Columbus brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Conditions were so bad that Spanish authorities had to send a new governor to take over.

Meanwhile, the native Taino population, forced to search for gold and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Columbus landed, only a few hundred of what may have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested and returned to Spain in chains.

In 1502, cleared of the most serious charges but stripped of his noble titles, the aging Columbus persuaded the Spanish crown to pay for one last trip across the Atlantic. This time, Columbus made it all the way to Panama—just miles from the Pacific Ocean—where he had to abandon two of his four ships after damage from storms and hostile natives. Empty-handed, the explorer returned to Spain, where he died in 1506.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus did not “discover” the Americas, nor was he even the first European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland and Newfoundland in the 11th century.)

However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation on the American continents. The Columbian Exchange transferred people, animals, food and disease across cultures. Old World wheat became an American food staple. African coffee and Asian sugar cane became cash crops for Latin America, while American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced into European diets. 

Today, Columbus has a controversial legacy —he is remembered as a daring and path-breaking explorer who transformed the New World, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually devastate the native populations he and his fellow explorers encountered.

HISTORY Vault: Columbus the Lost Voyage

Ten years after his 1492 voyage, Columbus, awaiting the gallows on criminal charges in a Caribbean prison, plotted a treacherous final voyage to restore his reputation.

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The First New World Voyage of Christopher Columbus (1492)

European Exploration of the Americas

Spencer Arnold/Getty Images

• Ph.D., Spanish, Ohio State University
• M.A., Spanish, University of Montana
• B.A., Spanish, Penn State University

How was the first voyage of Columbus to the New World undertaken, and what was its legacy? Having convinced the King and Queen of Spain to finance his voyage, Christopher Columbus departed mainland Spain on August 3, 1492. He quickly made port in the Canary Islands for a final restocking and left there on September 6. He was in command of three ships: the Pinta, the Niña, and the Santa María. Although Columbus was in overall command, the Pinta was captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón and the Niña by Vicente Yañez Pinzón.

First Landfall: San Salvador

On October 12, Rodrigo de Triana, a sailor aboard the Pinta, first sighted land. Columbus himself later claimed that he had seen a sort of light or aura before Triana did, allowing him to keep the reward he had promised to give to whoever spotted land first. The land turned out to be a small island in the present-day Bahamas. Columbus named the island San Salvador, although he remarked in his journal that the natives referred to it as Guanahani. There is some debate over which island was Columbus’ first stop; most experts believe it to be San Salvador, Samana Cay, Plana Cays or Grand Turk Island.

Second Landfall: Cuba

Columbus explored five islands in the modern-day Bahamas before he made it to Cuba. He reached Cuba on October 28, making landfall at Bariay, a harbor near the eastern tip of the island. Thinking he had found China, he sent two men to investigate. They were Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, a converted Jew who spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic in addition to Spanish. Columbus had brought him as an interpreter. The two men failed in their mission to find the Emperor of China but did visit a native Taíno village. There they were the first to observe the smoking of tobacco, a habit which they promptly picked up.

Third Landfall: Hispaniola

Leaving Cuba, Columbus made landfall on the Island of Hispaniola on December 5. Indigenous people called it Haití but Columbus referred to it as La Española, a name which was later changed to Hispaniola when Latin texts were written about the discovery. On December 25, the Santa María ran aground and had to be abandoned. Columbus himself took over as captain of the Niña, as the Pinta had become separated from the other two ships. Negotiating with the local chieftain Guacanagari, Columbus arranged to leave 39 of his men behind in a small settlement, named La Navidad .

Return to Spain

On January 6, the Pinta arrived, and the ships were reunited: they set out for Spain on January 16. The ships arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, on March 4, returning to Spain shortly after that.

Historical Importance of Columbus' First Voyage

In retrospect, it is somewhat surprising that what is today considered one of the most important voyages in history was something of a failure at the time. Columbus had promised to find a new, quicker route to the lucrative Chinese trade markets and he failed miserably. Instead of holds full of Chinese silks and spices, he returned with some trinkets and a few bedraggled Indigenous people from Hispaniola. Some 10 more had perished on the voyage. Also, he had lost the largest of the three ships entrusted to him.

Columbus actually considered the Indigenous people his greatest find. He thought that a new trade of enslaved people could make his discoveries lucrative. Columbus was hugely disappointed a few years later when Queen Isabela, after careful thought, decided not to open the New World to the trading of enslaved people.

Columbus never believed that he had found something new. He maintained, to his dying day, that the lands he discovered were indeed part of the known Far East. In spite of the failure of the first expedition to find spices or gold, a much larger second expedition was approved, perhaps in part due to Columbus’ skills as a salesman.

Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962

Thomas, Hugh. "Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan." 1st edition, Random House, June 1, 2004.

• What Was the Age of Exploration?
• Biography of Christopher Columbus
• La Navidad: First European Settlement in the Americas
• Biography of Christopher Columbus, Italian Explorer
• The Second Voyage of Christopher Columbus
• The Third Voyage of Christopher Columbus
• 10 Facts About Christopher Columbus
• The Truth About Christopher Columbus
• Biography of Juan Ponce de León, Conquistador
• Amerigo Vespucci, Explorer and Navigator
• The Fourth Voyage of Christopher Columbus
• Where Are the Remains of Christopher Columbus?
• Biography of Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, Conquistador
• Biography of Bartolomé de Las Casas, Spanish Colonist
• The Florida Expeditions of Ponce de Leon

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History Resources

Columbus reports on his first voyage, 1493

A spotlight on a primary source by christopher columbus.

On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain to find an all-water route to Asia. On October 12, more than two months later, Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas that he called San Salvador; the natives called it Guanahani.

For nearly five months, Columbus explored the Caribbean, particularly the islands of Juana (Cuba) and Hispaniola (Santo Domingo), before returning to Spain. He left thirty-nine men to build a settlement called La Navidad in present-day Haiti. He also kidnapped several Native Americans (between ten and twenty-five) to take back to Spain—only eight survived. Columbus brought back small amounts of gold as well as native birds and plants to show the richness of the continent he believed to be Asia.

When Columbus arrived back in Spain on March 15, 1493, he immediately wrote a letter announcing his discoveries to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who had helped finance his trip. The letter was written in Spanish and sent to Rome, where it was printed in Latin by Stephan Plannck. Plannck mistakenly left Queen Isabella’s name out of the pamphlet’s introduction but quickly realized his error and reprinted the pamphlet a few days later. The copy shown here is the second, corrected edition of the pamphlet.

The Latin printing of this letter announced the existence of the American continent throughout Europe. “I discovered many islands inhabited by numerous people. I took possession of all of them for our most fortunate King by making public proclamation and unfurling his standard, no one making any resistance,” Columbus wrote.

In addition to announcing his momentous discovery, Columbus’s letter also provides observations of the native people’s culture and lack of weapons, noting that “they are destitute of arms, which are entirely unknown to them, and for which they are not adapted; not on account of any bodily deformity, for they are well made, but because they are timid and full of terror.” Writing that the natives are “fearful and timid . . . guileless and honest,” Columbus declares that the land could easily be conquered by Spain, and the natives “might become Christians and inclined to love our King and Queen and Princes and all the people of Spain.”

An English translation of this document is available.

I have determined to write you this letter to inform you of everything that has been done and discovered in this voyage of mine.

On the thirty-third day after leaving Cadiz I came into the Indian Sea, where I discovered many islands inhabited by numerous people. I took possession of all of them for our most fortunate King by making public proclamation and unfurling his standard, no one making any resistance. The island called Juana, as well as the others in its neighborhood, is exceedingly fertile. It has numerous harbors on all sides, very safe and wide, above comparison with any I have ever seen. Through it flow many very broad and health-giving rivers; and there are in it numerous very lofty mountains. All these island are very beautiful, and of quite different shapes; easy to be traversed, and full of the greatest variety of trees reaching to the stars. . . .

In the island, which I have said before was called Hispana , there are very lofty and beautiful mountains, great farms, groves and fields, most fertile both for cultivation and for pasturage, and well adapted for constructing buildings. The convenience of the harbors in this island, and the excellence of the rivers, in volume and salubrity, surpass human belief, unless on should see them. In it the trees, pasture-lands and fruits different much from those of Juana. Besides, this Hispana abounds in various kinds of species, gold and metals. The inhabitants . . . are all, as I said before, unprovided with any sort of iron, and they are destitute of arms, which are entirely unknown to them, and for which they are not adapted; not on account of any bodily deformity, for they are well made, but because they are timid and full of terror. . . . But when they see that they are safe, and all fear is banished, they are very guileless and honest, and very liberal of all they have. No one refuses the asker anything that he possesses; on the contrary they themselves invite us to ask for it. They manifest the greatest affection towards all of us, exchanging valuable things for trifles, content with the very least thing or nothing at all. . . . I gave them many beautiful and pleasing things, which I had brought with me, for no return whatever, in order to win their affection, and that they might become Christians and inclined to love our King and Queen and Princes and all the people of Spain; and that they might be eager to search for and gather and give to us what they abound in and we greatly need.

Questions for Discussion

Read the document introduction and transcript in order to answer these questions.

• Columbus described the Natives he first encountered as “timid and full of fear.” Why did he then capture some Natives and bring them aboard his ships?
• Imagine the thoughts of the Europeans as they first saw land in the “New World.” What do you think would have been their most immediate impression? Explain your answer.
• Which of the items Columbus described would have been of most interest to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella? Why?
• Why did Columbus describe the islands and their inhabitants in great detail?
• It is said that this voyage opened the period of the “Columbian Exchange.” Why do you think that term has been attached to this period of time?

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Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the “New World” of the Americas on an expedition sponsored by King Ferdinand of Spain in 1492.

c. 1451-1506

Quick Facts

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Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator. In 1492, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in the Santa Maria , with the Pinta and the Niña ships alongside, hoping to find a new route to Asia. Instead, he and his crew landed on an island in present-day Bahamas—claiming it for Spain and mistakenly “discovering” the Americas. Between 1493 and 1504, he made three more voyages to the Caribbean and South America, believing until his death that he had found a shorter route to Asia. Columbus has been credited—and blamed—for opening up the Americas to European colonization.

FULL NAME: Cristoforo Colombo BORN: c. 1451 DIED: May 20, 1506 BIRTHPLACE: Genoa, Italy SPOUSE: Filipa Perestrelo (c. 1479-1484) CHILDREN: Diego and Fernando

Christopher Columbus, whose real name was Cristoforo Colombo, was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa, part of what is now Italy. He is believed to have been the son of Dominico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa and had four siblings: brothers Bartholomew, Giovanni, and Giacomo, and a sister named Bianchinetta. He was an apprentice in his father’s wool weaving business and studied sailing and mapmaking.

In his 20s, Columbus moved to Lisbon, Portugal, and later resettled in Spain, which remained his home base for the duration of his life.

Columbus first went to sea as a teenager, participating in several trading voyages in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. One such voyage, to the island of Khios, in modern-day Greece, brought him the closest he would ever come to Asia.

His first voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in 1476 nearly cost him his life, as the commercial fleet he was sailing with was attacked by French privateers off the coast of Portugal. His ship was burned, and Columbus had to swim to the Portuguese shore.

He made his way to Lisbon, where he eventually settled and married Filipa Perestrelo. The couple had one son, Diego, around 1480. His wife died when Diego was a young boy, and Columbus moved to Spain. He had a second son, Fernando, who was born out of wedlock in 1488 with Beatriz Enriquez de Arana.

After participating in several other expeditions to Africa, Columbus learned about the Atlantic currents that flow east and west from the Canary Islands.

The Asian islands near China and India were fabled for their spices and gold, making them an attractive destination for Europeans—but Muslim domination of the trade routes through the Middle East made travel eastward difficult.

Columbus devised a route to sail west across the Atlantic to reach Asia, believing it would be quicker and safer. He estimated the earth to be a sphere and the distance between the Canary Islands and Japan to be about 2,300 miles.

Many of Columbus’ contemporary nautical experts disagreed. They adhered to the (now known to be accurate) second-century BCE estimate of the Earth’s circumference at 25,000 miles, which made the actual distance between the Canary Islands and Japan about 12,200 statute miles. Despite their disagreement with Columbus on matters of distance, they concurred that a westward voyage from Europe would be an uninterrupted water route.

Columbus proposed a three-ship voyage of discovery across the Atlantic first to the Portuguese king, then to Genoa, and finally to Venice. He was rejected each time. In 1486, he went to the Spanish monarchy of Queen Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. Their focus was on a war with the Muslims, and their nautical experts were skeptical, so they initially rejected Columbus.

The idea, however, must have intrigued the monarchs, because they kept Columbus on a retainer. Columbus continued to lobby the royal court, and soon, the Spanish army captured the last Muslim stronghold in Granada in January 1492. Shortly thereafter, the monarchs agreed to finance his expedition.

In late August 1492, Columbus left Spain from the port of Palos de la Frontera. He was sailing with three ships: Columbus in the larger Santa Maria (a type of ship known as a carrack), with the Pinta and the Niña (both Portuguese-style caravels) alongside.

On October 12, 1492, after 36 days of sailing westward across the Atlantic, Columbus and several crewmen set foot on an island in present-day Bahamas, claiming it for Spain.

There, his crew encountered a timid but friendly group of natives who were open to trade with the sailors. They exchanged 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 but 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 local queen, Columbus established a forced labor policy upon the native population to rebuild the settlement and explore for gold, believing it would 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 Giacomo 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 South American mainland, exploring the Orinoco River in present-day Venezuela. By this time, 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.

After convincing King Ferdinand that one more voyage would bring the abundant riches promised, Columbus went on his fourth and final voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1502. This time he traveled 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 1504.

In the two remaining years of his life, Columbus struggled to recover his reputation. Although he did regain some of his riches in May 1505, his titles were never returned.

Columbus probably died of severe arthritis following an infection on May 20, 1506, in Valladolid, Spain. At the time of his death, he still believed he had discovered a shorter route to Asia.

There are questions about the location of his burial site. According to the BBC , Columbus’ remains moved at least three or four times over the course of 400 years—including from Valladolid to Seville, Spain, in 1509; then to Santo Domingo, in what is now the Dominican Republic, in 1537; then to Havana, Cuba, in 1795; and back to Seville in 1898. As a result, Seville and Santo Domingo have both laid claim to being Columbus’ true burial site. It is also possible his bones were mixed up with another person’s amid all of their travels.

In May 2014, Columbus made headlines as news broke that a team of archaeologists might have found the Santa Maria off the north coast of Haiti. Barry Clifford, the leader of this expedition, told the Independent newspaper that “all geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests this wreck is Columbus’ famous flagship the Santa Maria.”

After a thorough investigation by the U.N. agency UNESCO, it was determined the wreck dates from a later period and was located too far from shore to be the famed ship.

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 Columbian Exchange also brought new diseases to both hemispheres, though the effects were greatest in the Americas. Smallpox from the Old World killed millions, decimating the Native American populations to mere fractions of their original numbers. This more than any other factor allowed for European domination of the Americas.

The overwhelming benefits of the Columbian Exchange went to the Europeans initially and eventually to the rest of the world. The Americas were forever altered, and the once vibrant cultures of the Indigenous civilizations were changed and lost, denying the world any complete understanding of their existence.

As more Italians began to immigrate to the United States and settle in major cities during the 19 th century, they were subject to religious and ethnic discrimination. This included a mass lynching of 11 Sicilian immigrants in 1891 in New Orleans.

Just one year after this horrific event, President Benjamin Harrison called for the first national observance of Columbus Day on October 12, 1892, to mark the 400 th anniversary of his arrival in the Americas. Italian-Americans saw this honorary act for Columbus as a way of gaining acceptance.

Colorado became the first state to officially observe Columbus Day in 1906 and, within five years, 14 other states followed. Thanks to a joint resolution of Congress, the day officially became a federal holiday in 1934 during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt . In 1970, Congress declared the holiday would fall on the second Monday in October each year.

But as Columbus’ legacy—specifically, his exploration’s impacts on Indigenous civilizations—began to draw more criticism, more people chose not to take part. As of 2023, approximately 29 states no longer celebrate Columbus Day , and around 195 cities have renamed it or replaced with the alternative Indigenous Peoples Day. The latter isn’t an official holiday, but the federal government recognized its observance in 2022 and 2023. President Joe Biden called it “a day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this nation.”

One of the most notable cities to move away from celebrating Columbus Day in recent years is the state capital of Columbus, Ohio, which is named after the explorer. In 2018, Mayor Andrew Ginther announced the city would remain open on Columbus Day and instead celebrate a holiday on Veterans Day. In July 2020, the city also removed a 20-plus-foot metal statue of Columbus from the front of City Hall.

• I went to sea from the most tender age and have continued in a sea life to this day. Whoever gives himself up to this art wants to know the secrets of Nature here below. It is more than forty years that I have been thus engaged. Wherever any one has sailed, there I have sailed.
• Speaking of myself, little profit had I won from twenty years of service, during which I have served with so great labors and perils, for today I have no roof over my head in Castile; if I wish to sleep or eat, I have no place to which to go, save an inn or tavern, and most often, I lack the wherewithal to pay the score.
• They say that there is in that land an infinite amount of gold; and that the people wear corals on their heads and very large bracelets of coral on their feet and arms; and that with coral they adorn and inlay chairs and chests and tables.
• This island and all the others are very fertile to a limitless degree, and this island is extremely so. In it there are many harbors on the coast of the sea, beyond comparison with others that I know in Christendom, and many rivers, good and large, which is marvelous.
• Our Almighty God has shown me the highest favor, which, since David, he has not shown to anybody.
• Already the road is opened to gold and pearls, and it may surely be hoped that precious stones, spices, and a thousand other things, will also be found.
• I have now seen so much irregularity, that I have come to another conclusion respecting the earth, namely, that it is not round as they describe, but of the form of a pear.
• In all the countries visited by your Highnesses’ ships, I have caused a high cross to be fixed upon every headland and have proclaimed, to every nation that I have discovered, the lofty estate of your Highnesses and of your court in Spain.
• I ought to be judged as a captain sent from Spain to the Indies, to conquer a nation numerous and warlike, with customs and religions altogether different to ours.

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Christopher Columbus: The First Explorer To Travel To America

• Last updated May 25, 2024
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• Category Travel

Christopher Columbus, a name that resonates through history as the brave explorer who first set foot on the shores of America. His ambitious endeavors marked a turning point in the world's understanding of geography and opened the door to an entire continent of opportunities. From his humble beginnings in Genoa, Italy to his legendary voyages across the Atlantic, Columbus' story is filled with adventure, determination, and a relentless pursuit of discovery. Join me as we delve into the life and legacy of Christopher Columbus, the first explorer to travel to America.

What You'll Learn

Christopher columbus's exploration of america, columbus's historic voyage to america, the first european arrival in america: columbus's journey, christopher columbus's role in discovering america.

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who is believed to be the first European to travel to and explore the Americas. In 1492, he set sail from Spain on the famous voyage that would eventually lead him to discover the New World.

Columbus had a strong desire to find a new route to Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. At the time, most Europeans believed that the world was flat, and that reaching Asia by sailing west was impossible. However, Columbus was convinced that he could find a shorter and faster route to Asia, and he was determined to prove it.

After convincing the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, to finance his voyage, Columbus set sail on August 3, 1492, with three ships: the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Niña. After more than two months at sea, on October 12, 1492, Columbus and his crew spotted land. They had reached an island in the present-day Bahamas, which Columbus named San Salvador.

Columbus continued his exploration of the Caribbean islands, including Cuba and Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic and Haiti). He believed that he had reached the outskirts of Asia, and he called the native people he encountered "Indians," mistakenly believing he had reached India.

Over the course of four voyages, Columbus explored many parts of the Americas, including parts of Central and South America. However, he never actually set foot on what is now the United States. It was not until later expeditions that the European explorers, such as Juan Ponce de León and Hernando de Soto, landed on the mainland of North America.

Columbus's voyages had a profound impact on Europe and the New World. They led to the establishment of colonies, the transatlantic slave trade, and the exchange of goods and ideas between Europe and the Americas. Columbus himself may not have achieved his original goal of finding a new route to Asia, but his voyages forever changed the course of history.

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Christopher Columbus' Historic Voyage to America

Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, set sail on his historic voyage to America in 1492. This journey marked the beginning of the European exploration and colonization of the New World. Columbus' expedition was a significant turning point in history, connecting Europe and the Americas.

Columbus had a vision of finding a direct route to Asia by sailing westward across the Atlantic Ocean. At the time, many believed the Earth to be flat, and most European explorers opted for the safer eastern route. However, Columbus was convinced that the world was round and that he could reach Asia by sailing west.

With the support of the Spanish monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Columbus embarked on his expedition with three ships: the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Niña. On August 3, 1492, they set sail from the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera.

After a long and arduous journey, Columbus and his crew finally made landfall on October 12, 1492, in what is now known as the Bahamas. The exact island they first encountered is disputed, with some theories suggesting it was Guanahani (present-day San Salvador Island) or Samana Cay.

Columbus initially thought he had reached India, hence why he referred to the indigenous people he encountered as "Indians." He believed he had found a new trade route to the Far East, but in reality, he had discovered a whole new continent.

Continuing his exploration, Columbus visited various islands in the Caribbean, including Cuba and Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). He encountered different indigenous peoples and traded goods with them, including gold and spices.

Columbus returned to Spain in 1493, where he was hailed as a hero and presented his findings to the Spanish monarchs. He made subsequent voyages to the Americas, exploring more regions and establishing settlements.

While Columbus' voyage was historically significant, it also had negative consequences. The arrival of European explorers led to the colonization, exploitation, and decimation of native populations. It also set a precedent for European colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade.

Today, Columbus' legacy is a topic of debate and controversy. While his voyage opened up new possibilities for exploration and trade, it also brought immense suffering to indigenous peoples. The commemoration of Columbus' journey is viewed differently across the Americas, with some celebrating it as a national holiday (Columbus Day) and others recognizing it as a day of indigenous resistance (Indigenous Peoples' Day).

In conclusion, Christopher Columbus' historic voyage to America in 1492 marked the beginning of European exploration and colonization of the New World. While his journey opened up new possibilities for trade and exploration, it also had devastating consequences for indigenous peoples. The legacy of his expedition continues to be a subject of discussion and reflection in the modern world.

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Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, is often credited as being the first European to discover America. His journey, funded by the Spanish monarchy, took place in 1492 and marked the beginning of European exploration and colonization of the New World.

Columbus set sail from Spain in August 1492, aboard the ships Santa Maria, Pinta, and Niña. His goal was to find a western sea route to Asia, but instead, he stumbled upon the islands of the Caribbean. He first arrived at the Bahamas, specifically the island of San Salvador, on October 12, 1492.

From there, Columbus and his crew explored several other islands in the Caribbean, including Cuba and Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Columbus believed he had reached the outskirts of Asia and referred to the indigenous people he encountered as "Indians."

Columbus made a total of four voyages to the Americas between 1492 and 1504. During these expeditions, he explored various parts of the Caribbean and Central and South America, including present-day Venezuela and Panama.

While Columbus was not the first person to set foot on the American continents, he is credited with initiating European contact and exploration in the New World. His voyages opened the door for subsequent European expeditions and colonization, which ultimately led to the establishment of European empires in the Americas.

It is important to note that Columbus's arrival in the Americas had profound consequences for the indigenous peoples of the region. The arrival of Europeans brought disease, violence, and forced labor, leading to the decimation of many Native American populations.

Despite the controversy surrounding Columbus's actions and their impact on indigenous peoples, his journey remains a significant milestone in world history. It marked the beginning of a new era of exploration, colonization, and cultural exchange between Europe and the Americas.

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Christopher Columbus is widely known for his role in discovering America. Born in 1451 in the city of Genoa, Italy, Columbus grew up with a passion for maritime exploration. In the late 15th century, he embarked on a series of voyages that would forever change the course of world history.

Columbus firmly believed that he could reach Asia by sailing westward across the Atlantic Ocean, and with the support of the Spanish monarchy, he set out on his first voyage in 1492. After a long and perilous journey, his expedition made landfall on an island in the Bahamas. Although he mistakenly believed that he had reached the Indies, this event marked the beginning of European contact with the Americas.

Over the course of his voyages, Columbus made several more expeditions to the Caribbean and Central and South America. He explored numerous islands, including Cuba and Hispaniola, and established several settlements. His encounters with the indigenous people of these regions were complex, often resulting in conflict, but they also opened up new possibilities for trade and colonization.

Columbus's voyages had a profound impact on global history. They led to the eventual colonization of the Americas by European powers, which in turn resulted in significant changes to the indigenous societies of the region. The voyages also initiated an era of exploration and expansion known as the Age of Discovery, as other European nations sought to assert their own claims to the New World.

Despite Columbus's achievements, his legacy is also marked by controversy. His treatment of the indigenous peoples he encountered was often brutal, and he initiated a process of colonization that led to the displacement and mistreatment of native populations. In recent years, there has been a growing movement to reevaluate his role in history and to recognize the contributions and suffering of the native peoples of the Americas.

Nevertheless, there is no denying the significance of Columbus's voyages in reshaping the world. His exploration of the Americas opened up new horizons for trade, colonization, and cultural exchange. It brought the Old World and the New World together, forging lasting connections between Europe and the Americas that continue to shape our world today.

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Frequently asked questions.

Christopher Columbus first traveled to America in 1492.

Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering America because his voyage in 1492 was the first documented European exploration of the American continent.

No, Christopher Columbus was not the first person to reach America. The Native Americans had been living on the continent for thousands of years before Columbus arrived.

Christopher Columbus initially believed that he had landed in India, which is why he referred to the Indigenous peoples he encountered as "Indians." It was only later that it was realized he had actually discovered the Americas.

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Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to America: To the Unknown

At dawn on 3 August 1492, three ships bobbed gently in the waters off the port of Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, on the southwest coast of Spain. These ships, the Santa María, the Pinta and the Niña, marked the beginning of one of the most daring and momentous expeditions in human history: Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to America. This event would not only change the worldviews of the time, but also open a new chapter in the exploration and exchange between continents. The age of great discoveries was beginning.

Columbus, a stubborn seafarer

Christopher Columbus, a Genoese navigator convinced that the Earth was round, had devised a daring plan to reach Asia by sailing west from Europe. After years of attempts to obtain financial support, he finally obtained the backing of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. So, on 3 August 1492, he set sail with a brave crew and a vision that would change the course of history.

The hardness of the trip

The crossing was not easy. The weeks in the Atlantic Ocean were long and discouraging. The crew, imbued with a sense of uncertainty and fear of the unknown, began to lose hope. Columbus, however, proved to be a tenacious and visionary leader. His ability to maintain the morale of the crew and his confidence in the enterprise were essential to overcoming the challenges.

Land in sight

And so, on 12 October 1492, after more than two months at sea, unknown lands were sighted. Columbus and his crew found themselves in front of an island in the Caribbean, which they would later christen San Salvador. This moment marked the initial encounter between the Old World and the New World, an event that would change global history and transform the way cultures related to each other.

The first encounter between Columbus and the inhabitants of these lands, the Tainos, was a fascinating but complex cultural exchange. Although both groups were initially curious about each other, linguistic and cultural differences created significant barriers. Columbus, with the persistent notion that he had arrived in Asia, called the natives “Indians”, a term that would erroneously prevail in the decades and centuries that followed.

The first settlement

The Spanish explorer continued his voyage, exploring several Caribbean islands, including Cuba and Hispaniola. The Santa Maria, however, ran aground off the coast of Hispaniola on 25 December 1492. Columbus left part of the crew at a settlement called La Navidad and returned to Spain on the Niña, carrying with him the news of his discovery. This incident, although a setback, did not diminish the impact of his achievement.

Return to Spain

Columbus’ return to Spain in March 1493 was greeted with enthusiasm. News of his success spread quickly throughout Europe, and Columbus was received as a hero. However, doubts persisted about the exact nature of his discoveries. Many believed he had reached a part of Asia, and it was not until later explorations that the magnitude of his discovery was realised.

Columbus’ first voyage to America marked the beginning of a period of intense exploration and colonisation. Other explorers, such as Amerigo Vespucci and Juan Ponce de Leon, followed in his footsteps, expanding European knowledge of the New World. As colonies were established and cultural exchanges took place, human history became more complex and connected than ever before.

Consequences of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to America

However, the legacy of this first voyage is also marked by negative consequences. The arrival of Europeans in the Americas triggered a process of conquest and colonisation that had devastating impacts on the indigenous populations. The spread of disease, the exploitation of resources and the imposition of new social structures irreversibly changed the landscape of the Americas.

Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas was a momentous milestone that opened a new chapter in world history. His bold vision and determination led to a historic encounter between two previously separate worlds. While the impact of this voyage was immense, the complexity of its consequences and the price paid by the indigenous populations cannot be overlooked. This event continues to be the subject of reflection and debate today, reminding us of the importance of exploring history with a critical and sympathetic perspective.

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The Diario of Christopher Columbus’s First Voyage to America, 1492-1493, Abstracted by Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas In Search of Columbus: The Sources for the First Voyage The Libro de las profecías of Christopher Columbus: An en face edition

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Ursula Lamb; The Diario of Christopher Columbus’s First Voyage to America, 1492-1493, Abstracted by Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas In Search of Columbus: The Sources for the First Voyage The Libro de las profecías of Christopher Columbus: An en face edition. Hispanic American Historical Review 1 August 1992; 72 (3): 422–424. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-72.3.422

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The Diario is the account of the first Columbian voyage to America, from August 5, 1492, to March 15, 1493, the subject of current quincentenary celebrations. Its significance is that it started a continuous and unique record of the Europeans’ encounter with America. The present translation and transcription of the Diario presents the most faithful rendering of the text now available. An introduction about procedure, notes throughout, and several key aids bring the reader as close to the original as possible.

That the logbook is not an original but the extract of a copy made by Bartolomé de Las Casas years after the event does not diminish its importance. The Dunn and Kelley transcription is based on the Spanish facsimile published by Carlos Sanz in 1962, and it gets the best available translation. The English text follows the Spanish on facing pages and retains the folio numbers, with recto and verso designations. The transcription indicates all abbreviations, insertions, strike-outs, marginalia, omissions, copying errors, and punctuation.

An introduction concerning procedure and a generous index are complemented by a concordance that lists every word, text reference, and number of uses; and a bibliography. Care with the paleography and translation is matched by computer expertise, judiciously employed in problems of text identified on page 2. The task of sorting out the “very words” of the Admiral from those of Las Casas continues to resist the construction of the text. What concerns critics most is the translation of some key terms favoring one or another theory of Columbus’ trajectory across the ocean and in the Caribbean, and his descriptions of the islands and people. Experts will continue to debate these issues in view of the lack of certain proof. The Dunn and Kelley version of the Diario is a tribute to great care and competence. Whoever would do better has a solid base and a formidable challenge.

Columbus was a pioneer in the sense of establishing the permanent presence of Europeans in America. Curiosity about who he was starts with the man himself. The Libro de las profecías is a document of self-definition. If the Diario described what he did and how he did it, this book is his interpretation of who he thought himself to be and his role, in the biblical sense, sub specie aeternitatis .

The Libro de las profecías is a collection of prophetic texts from the Bible, the saints, and the classics, compiled by Columbus and copied by various hands. In 1501–1502, after returning from the third voyage and while seeking support for the fourth, at the lowest point of the trajectory toward his goals, Columbus tried to reinforce the vision of himself and of the Catholic kings that he is now believed to have already expressed upon his return from the first voyage in 1493: to fulfill biblical and classical prophecies (see the Libro copiador , ed. Antonio Ruraeu de Armas, 1989).

Two pieces by Columbus are included: a letter to the Catholic kings and the incipit . The latter presents “statements and prophecies on the subject of the recovery of God s Holy City and Mount Zion, and on the invention and evangelization of the islands of the Indies and of all other peoples and nations.” These two aims are embedded in the classical tradition of chronology and astrology, joined for prediction.

In the letter Columbus calls himself unlearned but skilled in the mariner’s art. He asserts that the Lord opened his mind and his will to sail to the Indies to be the instrument of His prophets. He writes, “It should be noted that in the Holy Scriptures the verbs in the past tense are sometimes used for the future, and so with other tenses.” This manipulation of time enabled him to position his mission in the biblical tradition. As the Apocalypse might be close, Columbus offered to the Spanish crown the credit and opportunity to fulfill ancient prophecies and to become lord of the New Jerusalem.

The current edition of the text comprises a translation of the quotations, on facing pages, by August Kling, and an introductory text of 95 pages by Delno C. West. This commentary covers Columbus’ intellectual and cultural background and his piety and faith. Could anyone who reads about Columbus doubt the “inner fire” he mentions that drove him? Would anyone believe that mentioning gold 153 times and not a single prophet in the Diario , and compiling a Libro de privilegios to confirm his titles and economic rights at the same time as the Profecías , reflects only on his situation and not on himself? Private ambitions fitted into an apocalyptic vision would be in keeping with the traditions of the time, as shown in the introduction.

Careless proofreading is a flaw that could have been avoided: Santo Porto for Porto Santo, Bobadillo(a), Fray John Pérez but Hernando de Talavera, Roselly de Lorgues (index) and Roselly de Longues (text), Azcuto for Zacuto, Popes Innocent III and VII (both should be VIII), and “most unique” should not have passed. Yet these are but surface blemishes on a valuable addition to translated texts, neglected for too long, about the multifaceted personality of Christopher Columbus.

As for what we really know about the first voyage, David Henige attempts a modern interpretation. He subjects the Diario to literary criticism as well as historical analysis. He describes the circumstances of its making, then conducts an extended study of the treatment the Diario received at the hands of editors.

Henige considers problems of transcription and translation in the Diario’ s 19 editions. Sanz’s facsimile edition made paleographic examination possible, and made editors responsible for rendering the text with complete faithfulness to the source, allowing neither additions nor omissions. Dunn and Kelley’s transcription is remarkably faithful, the translation readable and honest. Any serious reader would have to consider the large number of corrections, deletions, and marginalia; that is, the evolution or process through which the text was made. When confronted with inconsistencies of times and distances of the log, no preferences of incompatible times and distances should allow alteration of the text. But the question is, are scholars to stop because as written, something makes no sense? This is not suggested, though severe restrictions are imposed and ample notes required for taking the risk of interpretation, which will always remain a hypothesis.

One feature of the Las Casas transcript is his attribution to Columbus of favorable reports on the natives. These characterizations more closely represent Las Casas than Columbus, who expressed various opinions. Henige adds to this examination that of the nature, role, and limits of archaeological contributions to the search for sources of the first voyage. His extraordinarily comprehensive bibliography includes titles on chemistry and the history of music. The book is a stimulating exercise in stripping a historical source of past interpretations, distortions, and associations, by submitting it to the widest possible range of modern expertise. Though we shall never be able to know the whole truth, we are not kept from looking for significance, and from having to write history.

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Route of the First Voyage of Columbus, 1492

The Ages of Exploration

Christopher columbus interactive map, age of discovery.

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Christopher Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean searching for a new sea route to the spices in India. He never made it to Asia, but instead discovered a “New World” to Europeans.

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Medical Notes on Columbus's First Trip to America

From Professional Services, Martin Army Hospital, Fort Benning, Ga.

CHRISTOPHER Columbus left on Aug 3,1492, from the port of Palos de Moguer, Spain, on the trip during which he was to discover America. Much has been written about Columbus's first trip to the New World. Although it has been studied and analyzed from almost every aspect, little is known or has been written about it from a medical point of view. 1-3

CREW   It is accepted that there were 90 men on the trip. It has been fairly well established that three of the crew members were physicians, each traveling in a different vessel: Maestre Juan Sanchez on the Santa Maria , Maestre Alonso de Moguer on the Niña , and Maestre Diego on the Pinta . 4,5 In Columbus's time, there were several kinds of medical professionals, among which university-trained physicians, surgeons, barbers, and apothecaries were the most commonly known. It is accepted that Maestre Juan Sanchez was a surgeon, and

Lopez CA. Medical Notes on Columbus's First Trip to America. JAMA. 1976;236(14):1598–1599. doi:10.1001/jama.1976.03270150032026

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The Log of Christopher Columbus' First Voyage to America in the Year 1492 Paperback – February 17, 2011

• Print length 94 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Martino Fine Books
• Publication date February 17, 2011
• Dimensions 7.44 x 0.19 x 9.69 inches
• ISBN-10 1891396919
• ISBN-13 978-1891396915
• See all details

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Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Martino Fine Books (February 17, 2011)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 94 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1891396919
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1891396915
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.44 x 0.19 x 9.69 inches
• #866 in Children's Exploration Books

About the authors

Christopher columbus.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Bartolomé de las Casas

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Splash Travels

The Disastrous Voyage Of Bjarni Herjólfsson, The First European To Reach North America

Posted: January 25, 2024 | Last updated: January 25, 2024

Forget About Columbus

If there were an award for biggest glory hog in human history, Christopher Columbus would have to be a prime candidate. Putting aside the many instances of horrific behavior on his part, Columbus' most enduring legacy is also just utter bologna. He was not the first European in North America .

Was he close? Depends on your timescale. He only missed the mark by about 500 years .

Bjarni Herjólfsson

Bjarni Herjólfsson made a pilgrimage every summer to his family home. He was a merchant captain in Norway. His parents were farmers in Iceland. It was a nice tradition. The catch? Bjarni lived in the late 10th century. Air-service on the Norway-to-Iceland route was spotty. 

To make his yearly voyage, Bjarni was forced to navigate the treacherous route across the freezing Norwegian Sea.

No Problemo

Bjarni, though, was an adept sailor, and for most of his adult life, the trip went off without a hitch. But in 986 AD, some unknown breakdown in communication led to a scheduling snafu. 

Bjarni showed up in Iceland that summer, only to hear that his parents had immigrated to Greenland  over the winter. Without so much as a postcard. 

That's rough.

Braving The Unknown

Not one to be easily deterred (or maybe immune to social cues) Bjarni collected a crew and resolved to follow them. Neither he nor any member of his crew had ever made the trip to Greenland. Bjarni, apparently, saw this as irrelevant. 

The result was the first ever European trip to North America.

Shortly into their voyage, the Bjarni expedition took the full brunt of a North Atlantic storm. They were blown wildly off course. For three days, they grappled with high-seas, wind, rain, and the torment of an angry ocean. 

On the fourth, the sun shone through.

It's Too Green!

Bjarni and his men collected their wits and reoriented themselves, only to spot a mysterious wooded land drifting on the horizon.  It didn't match the description  they'd been given of Greenland. Where there should have been ice and rock there were rolling hills of forest and grass. 

Deterred, they chose not to go ashore.

Rumors Spread

Bjarni and his band of lost souls eventually made it back to Greenland. Once there, there was little immediate interest in their misadventure. The Vikings were a famously hardy people , with little time for weakness or failure. 

Eventually, though, Bjarni traveled to Norway, where the rumors of his sighting on the far side of the world roused a significant degree of interest. 

Leif Erikson is often credited with being the first European to step foot in America, but Bjarni was probably the first to lay eyes on this land.  

In the words of Professor TJ Oleson (University of Manitoba), "There are strong arguments for the view that the three lands seen by Bjarni were Newfoundland, Labrador, and Baffin Island."

He Was Inspiring

Bjarni’s venture may have been a failure, but his influence was only beginning to spread .

After returning home, stories of Bjarni’s accidental discovery spread like wildfire among the seafaring people of Norway. Among those enthralled listeners? None other than the legendary Norse explorer, Leif Erikson.

Leif Erikson

Leif had himself experienced a similar accidental discovery on a previous voyage from Norway to Greenland, during which he’d been blown off course and encountered two shipwrecked sailors who claimed to have visited a land of "self-sown wheat fields and grapevines" beyond Greenland. Their description matched Bjarni’s stories.

Excited by the possibilities, Leif launched his own expedition. He even bought the original ship Bjarni had used for this voyage. Together with a crew of 35 men, he set off for new horizons.

In His Footsteps

Following Bjarni’s route to the best of his ability, Leif and his men first landed on a rocky outcrop near Greenland (today thought to be Baffin Island). Pushing on, though, t hey eventually founded a settlement they called Leifsbúðir  (meaning Leif’s Booths) in an area they came to call Vinland, after the grapes they found growing in abundance there.

If the Norse legends are true, it was the first permanent European settlement in the New World.

L'Anse aux Meadows

The story of Bjarni and Leif’s discoveries were recorded in writing by two early Norse histories: The Saga of Erik the Red and T he Saga of the Greenlanders . Both were written around the year 1200, and tell mildly differing stories off their experiences. 

For years, the veracity of the Sagas was cast in doubt. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many historians were careful not to trust accounts that had been written primarily as popular entertainment.

L'Anse aux Meadows changed all that .

The Norse Legacy In North America

In 1960, two Norwegian archaeologists discovered the remains of a Norse settlement in Newfoundland, Canada , at the northernmost tip of the island. The village where they made their discovery is called L'Anse aux Meadows.

To this day, the site at L'Anse aux Meadows remains the only confirmed Norse settlement ever discovered in North America. It stands as definitive evidence of pre-Columbian Transatlantic European exploration.

At the very least,  L'Anse aux Meadows proves that the Norse explorers made it to North America . Many experts propose that the site may be the location of Leif Erikson’s settlement.

Sources : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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‘horizon: an american saga – chapter 1’ review: kevin costner quit ‘yellowstone’ for this.

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HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA -CHAPTER 1

Running time: 181 minutes. Rated R (violence, some nudity and sexuality). In theaters June 28.

Kevin Costner made a bold choice.

He departed the most popular TV show in the country and decided to tell the sweeping story of American Western expansion in four interconnected films before anybody knew if the first one was any good. 

Well, by the end of “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” which clocks in at more than three glacial hours, I could not fathom committing another 540 minutes of my time to this bloated ego trip. 

It’s hard to believe Costner left “Yellowstone” to make such an embarrassing, poorly told mess. 

What the writer-director-star is trying to do with his difficult-to-follow tale that begins in 1859 and spans 15 years is humanize and deepen the frontier. Fine idea.

The natural scenery is stunning throughout. And there are familiar elements of classic Western films (though what I wouldn’t give for a transportive Ennio Morricone score over composer John Debney’s sappy sledgehammer soundtrack) and the expected big shootouts.   

However, the battles are uglier and more morally fraught than usual. For instance, early in the movie when a town called Great Day is attacked by Apache Native Americans, a family — including little kids — blows themselves up to avoid painful torture.

The dark reality of manifest destiny is a worthy topic, and worthy of a much better film. One in which we have even a modicum of investment in any of the characters.

There are more than 20 named roles scattered all over the place — the San Pedro Valley, the Montana Territory, the Western Santa Fe Trail — and viewers strain to care much for any of them, so bland and animatronic they all are. 

Costner cuts in and out of their boring journeys, a la “Game of Thrones,” and it’s assumed they’ll meet up in later films. 

Whoopee. 

A bunch of these folks — who look like the Western outpost they come from is Malibu — are headed to the town of Horizon, which promises “premium virgin lands.” 

Frances Kittredge (Sienna Miller) and her daughter Diamond (Isabelle Fuhrman) survive the destruction of Great Day and are forced to rebuild their lives. 

You’d think losing one’s husband and son in a massacre would be traumatic and scarring. 

Nope! Pretty soon, Frances is all smiles, hitting on Lt. Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington), and her hair would suggest she found some Pantene conditioner behind a cactus.

Jena Malone plays Ellen, a loud wife and mother who’s been in hiding since a violent incident some years earlier. She ends up being chased by cartoony “Deliverance” brothers, and a hooker named Marigold (Abbey Lee) is left to watch over her son.

Costner plays brooding Hayes, a mysterious Old West wanderer who protects Marigold and the kid. The traveling duo’s sex scene is, to say the least, unfortunate. 

Two hours in, yet more people are introduced. A young British married couple, Juliette (Ella Hunt) and Hugh (Tom Payne), is part of a wagon train, led by Matthew (a lost Luke Wilson), in search of a new life. Hunt’s whiny and phony performance is the most annoying I’ve seen in a minute.

Costner also tells the Native American side of the story. Horrendously.

All the sentimental, speechy, overscored dialogue in the script by Costner and Jon Baird is lesser Starz, or top-drawer Hallmark. 

Some lines are plain word salad. A character will jabber on for two minutes and you’ll have no clue what they’ve just said. Elsewhere, it’s laughable.

After the town is burned down at the beginning, an army man points out three grave markers in the distance to a survivor.

“You didn’t take that as a sign?” the soldier asks.

“Sure we did,” responds the man. “A sign to build on the other side of the river.” 

That’s where they put the zinger? The aftermath of a massacre?

The film ends with a whiplash-inducing montage of disparate moments that, I think, is meant to act as a “coming attractions” of sorts for the next three movies.

A short while earlier, Colonel Houghton (Danny Huston) observes, “There is no army across this Earth that will stop those wagons comin’.” 

But instead of “wagons,” my beleaguered and terrified ears heard “sequels.”

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'Outraged,' Mayor Ginther, City Council President Hardin react to Short North mass shooting

Following the early-morning mass shooting that wounded 10 in the Short North , Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther issued a statement at 11 a.m. Sunday, followed by Columbus City Council President Shannon G. Hardin issuing a statement at 12:30 p.m.

All 10 victims are expected to survive.

Latest updates: What we know about Columbus Short North mass shooting

Here is Ginther's full statement.

"The gun violence that occurred early this morning in the Short North is outrageous, it's unacceptable and it must stop.

"Despite what happened, I want to reassure the community that the Short North is safe, but every neighborhood could be safer. Our officers are doing their best to protect our families, but they can't shoulder the burden on their own.

Latest updates: Columbus mass shooting wounds 10 in Short North; police seek suspect vehicle

"Collaboratively, we can and must do better. We need the community to step up with tips and information to hold the perpetrators of this shooting accountable. We need parents to step up — to know where their kids and teens are, and to enforce curfew in their homes. And we need the state and federal governments to step up and keep guns off of the streets and out of the hands of violent criminals.

"If they don't have the courage to do it, then they need to get out of our way and let us act. Our community demands and deserves better."

Here is Hardin's full statement.

"Angry and outraged to wake up to another senseless shooting," he wrote.

"I met with Short North community leaders just three days ago to discuss safety and other neighborhood issues. We will continue to be vigilant this summer and consider additional safety measures as needed in the area and across the City.

"We won't allow our neighborhoods to be terrorized by these reckless shootouts. And we once again ask state government and the courts to stop blocking common-sense gun control policies and allowing guns to pour into our streets.

"We need your help to track down these offenders, hold them accountable, and keep our neighborhoods safe.

"If you have information regarding the incident or the suspect vehicle, a white Honda civic, please contact Columbus Police Felony Assault Detective Jones at 614-654-4373, or email [email protected]. Anonymous tips can call Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).

"I am praying for everyone affected by this violence."

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Athing Mu falls, finishes last in 800m at US Olympic track and field trials

EUGENE, Ore. — Disaster happened in the first lap of the women’s 800-meter final at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at Hayward Field.

Defending Olympic champion Athing Mu got tangled up with competitors, tripped and fell to the track. The spectators inside the stadium let out a huge gasp as she hit the ground. By the time Mu regained her footing, she was in last place.

The other competitors continued to run as Mu trailed far in the back of the pack.

“We fear when she is in the middle of the pack because of her long loping stride that she may fall to the track,” NBC track and field analyst Sanya Richards-Ross said on the broadcast. 

Nia Akins ended up finishing the 800 final in first, running a 1:57.36. Allie Wilson placed second at 1:58.32 and Juliette Whittaker came in third at 1:58.45.

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Mu, showing good sportsmanship, continued to run well out of position and finished in last place with a time of 2:19.69. After Mu finished, she exited the track visibly emotional.

The trials marked the 2024 debut for Mu, who hadn’t competed since September 2023. She was bothered by a hamstring injury that delayed the start of her 2024 season.

In the preliminary round of the 800, Mu was noticeably rusty. She finished third in her heat when she ran a 2:01.73, but easily qualified. Mu showed improvement and won what was a dramatic 800 semifinal that featured Michaela Rose getting out to a big early lead and Kate Grace falling at the finish line.

Unfortunately for Mu, she was the one who fell to the track in the final and it cost her a chance to defend her gold medal in Paris.

At the Toyko Olympics, Mu became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the 800 since Madeline Manning did it at the 1968 Mexico City games.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X  @TheTylerDragon .