Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an Italian sailor in the fifteenth century. He theorized that the Earth was round and could be circumnavigated. He submitted a proposal for a journey to India by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean to several European monarchs and ultimately received approval, funding, and three ships from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. He did not find India (though he initially thought he did) but instead became the first European to reach the New World. He returned on several subsequent journeys and became the first governor of Spanish colonies established there.

Columbus died a wealthy man, convinced he'd visited Asia to the very end of his life.

Christopher Columbus in "Report of the Special Committee on the Quality of Life"
Christopher Columbus's proposed voyage was deemed by Spain's Special Committee on the Quality of Life, led by Jaime Nosénada, not to be in the country's best interests.

Columbus in Worldwar
Christopher Columbus's discovery of the New World is generally considered the beginning of American history, and Columbus is considered something of a folk hero in the United States. In 1966, the US spaceship Columbus was named in his honor.