Christopher Columbus (Italian: Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish: Cristóbal Colón) (30 or 31 October 1451 - 20 May 1506) was an Italian sailor in the 15th century. Believing the Earth was smaller than it actually is, he mistakenly thought Asia could easily be reached by travelling west. 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 and establish a lasting presence. He returned on several subsequent journeys and became the first governor of Spanish colonies established there. His atrocities committed upon the locals, which threatened to set off an insurrection, caused him to be recalled to Spain for a reprimand.
Columbus died a wealthy man, convinced he'd visited Asia to the very end of his life.
In the early 19th century, American authors attempted to make Columbus an "American legend," despite his never having set foot anywhere in what is now US territory. This idealized Columbus was portrayed as an unusually enlightened man for his time, and became the explorer's image in popular culture for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. More recently, increasing awareness of his genocidal acts and establishment of de factoslavery has caused Columbus to be reevaluated, and his "legend" to be deconstructed.
