Christopher Columbus Research Paper

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Pages: 4

The exact date of Columbus's birth is not known. He was born sometime between Aug. 25 and Oct. 31, 1451, in Genoa, back then the capital of a self-governing area on the northwest coast of Italy. His father, Domenico Colombo, worked as a wool weaver. To make more money, he also worked as a wine merchant and a gatekeeper. His mother, Susan Fontanarossa was the daughter of a wool weaver. He was the oldest of five children. He also may have been tutored or sent to a school to learn Latin and mathematics. His education unfortunately ended at the age of fourteen. Columbus was not born an explorer, he was forced into the business career by his father and worked as an agent for a couple powerful Genoese Commercial Families. He also attended Mass at …show more content…
Landings were made on the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Antigua. His stop at Puerto Rico is the closest he came to setting foot on land that would later form part of the United States. Columbus set sail on his third voyage on May 30, 1498. His first landing, made on July 31, 1498, he sighted what is now Venezuela. Although Columbus still got some royal support for a fourth voyage to continue his search for a passage to Asia, only four worm-eaten caravels were available for him and he was forbidden to stop at Española. The expedition sailed from Cadiz in May 1502. The ships were in desperate need of repair by the end of the 21-day crossing. After completing needed repairs on his vessels, Columbus sailed the waters of Honduras. The expedition, reduced to two caravels, sailed for Espanola, but the rotten ships sinked near Jamaica on June 23, 1503. Columbus went to Espanola for help while the natives provided food for his crew. The stranded crew boarded the ship on June 28, 1504, for Santo Domingo, and then sailed for Spain, reaching Sanlucar de Barrameda on November 7. The Santa Maria was wrecked In December the Santa Maria was wrecked off the coast of Espanola. The Nina, with Columbus in command, and the Pinta began the homeward journey in January 1493. After storms drove the ships first to the Azores and then to Lisbon, Columbus arrived at Palos, Spain, in March. Columbus would never sail again. May 20, 1506, in Valladolid, Christopher Columbus dies from an illness named Congestive Heart Failure. His remains remain in Valladolid,