2006-11-21 05:51:01 · 9 answers · asked by dolo 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
1491. Because of the change between the Julian and the Gregorian calendars, everyone thinks it was 1492.
2006-11-21 09:11:26 · answer #1 · answered by stevewbcanada 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
When exactly Christopher Columbus discovered America depends a lot on what you think of as 'America'.
On October 12, 1492, land was first sighted on his first voyage. Though this was undoubtedly one of the islands of the Bahamas, nobody is certain exactly WHICH island it is. He also landed on what is now called Cuba and Hispaniola later that year. This is part of the American continental region, so it may count.
He didn't touch down on mainland until August of 1498, when he explored regions of South America between what is now Trinidad and Venezuela. This was his third voyage. So if you are just considering the first mainland landing in the Americas, that's it.
August 14, 1502 has him first setting foot in Central America in what would be Honduras (during the fourth voyage). Up until this time he still thought he was exploring a region of Asia in the neighborhood of China, but when natives began telling him of the OTHER ocean nearby, inklings started to form of where he actually was (at least for other people - Columbus claimed to have found a route to the Indies until his dying day). This was his last voyage.
Columbus never set foot on the land that would eventually become the United States of America. The closest he ever came was the southern coast of Cuba. So if THAT is your definition of America then he never arrived. Certainly even if he had set foot on the land, America itself wouldn't form for a couple centuries, so he could never arrive in that sense as well.
Given his abysmal record as a governor, it probably would have been better if he stuck to voyaging. He is considered to be responsible for a number of tyrannical measures among his crew and native populations, and was not only arrested by Spain on the basis of some accounts, but also denied access to ports in the New World because of widespread hatred for him. Some populations of natives were all but wiped out as a direct result of his oppression. He even began lobbying for a new crusade to take Jerusalem toward the end of his life.
Fortunately for all of us, he is quite completely dead now.
2006-11-21 06:57:48 · answer #2 · answered by Doctor Why 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Christopher Columbus (Italian: Cristoforo Colombo; Portuguese: Cristóvão Colombo, formerly Christovam Colon; Spanish: Cristóbal Colón; Catalan: Cristòfor Colom; c. 1451–May 20, 1506) was a navigator and an admiral for the Crown of Castile. His voyages to the Americas began a European effort at exploration and colonization of the continent. While history places great significance on his first voyage of 1492, he did not actually reach the mainland until his third voyage in 1498.
2006-11-21 05:59:47 · answer #3 · answered by Garfield J 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
1492
2006-11-21 05:57:53 · answer #4 · answered by Starry Eyes 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
1492
2006-11-21 05:53:03 · answer #5 · answered by Rod Z 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Define America - even the West Indies is a part of the Americas.
2006-11-21 06:04:16 · answer #6 · answered by Sophist 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
"In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue" is a good way to remember the year.
2006-11-21 05:55:02 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Trick question right? The answer is never. He got to the British West Indies.
2006-11-21 05:56:59 · answer #8 · answered by rangerreatta 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
For gold and was seeking a route to the east.
2006-11-21 08:54:35 · answer #9 · answered by Sunshine Suzy 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋