Christopher Columbus was born in Italy in 1451 and grew up in a merchant family. He became interested in sailing as a teenager and made many voyages to Africa and Asia, gaining knowledge of ocean currents and trade routes. In 1492, Columbus received funding from the Spanish monarchs to sail west in search of a route to Asia. On his first voyage, he landed in the Bahamas instead of Asia, believing he had reached India. He established a settlement and returned to Spain with goods and native captives. His voyages opened the Americas to European colonization but had disastrous effects on native populations through disease, violence and exploitation. Columbus died in 1506 still believing he had reached Asia.

1. Christopher Columbus The story behind the sailor

2. Columbus day Occurs annually every second Monday in October Columbus has been accredited for opening up the Americas to European colonization He also was one of few people who believed that the world was round, not flat

3. Facts of Columbus before he was famous Born in 1451 in Italy, which at the time was Republic of Genoa. Columbus was born into a merchant home and did not get involved in sailing until he was a teenager

4. Development of Christopher Columbus Married and settled to FelipaPerestrello in Lisbon, Portugal They both had one son who was named Diego around 1480 Felipa died after the family moved to Spain Columbus had another son in 1488 with Beatriz Enriquez de Arana out of wedlock

5. First voyage in Atlantic Almost cost him his life Attacked by French privateers Columbus escaped by swimming to shore The shore he swam to was Lisbon, Portugal where he later met his future wife

6. Sailor COlumbus Travelled to Africa through many trading expeditions Gained more knowledge of the Atlantic current flowing east and west with every journey Travelled to India and China for trade The route was dangerous because of war with Middle East Led to thinking of a different route for going west to India and China

7. Rough Start Experts disagreed with Columbus Distance was further than anticipated Widely believed that the earth was flat Rejection Portugal Genoa Venice Spain The Spanish monarch took interest but rejected Columbus due to the war that they were engaging with the Middle East

8. Persistant! Columbus continued to speak with the royal court numerous times during the war War was finally over in January 1492 Columbus was well funded with three ships Columbus left that August with permission of the courts

9. The Three Rangers Columbus was given three ships to sail across the ocean blue Santa Maria Pinta Niña 36 days of sailing across the Atlantic Landed not in the Americas but the Bahamas! There he met local natives

10. Under Attack? No, Natives were timid but friendly They traded with Columbus and his crew Columbus also noticed the golden jewerly that the natives were wearing This foreshadowed catastrophic events that will come in the future He built a village because the boat Santa Maria wrecked on the coast

11. Return Home 39 men stayed behind to attend the town Two of the three ships (Niña and Pinta) returned to Spain by 1493 They brought the good news (thinking that they had reached Asia)

12. Continuous Voyages When Columbus returned he found out that the village he left behind was burned to the ground and the people were massacred. Columbus came back to further explore for gold along the land that he has come across His third voyage, he finally encountered the mainland (Venezuela)

13. Mutiny! The new settlers and crew claimed that they were misled and lied to with poor management Columbus was brought before court in chains and brought on trial The charges were eventually dropped but Columbus was stripped of his title of governor of the Indies

14. Last voyage A few years later Columbus convinced King Ferdinand using riches to persuade him to permit this voyage even after all the trouble Columbus had caused Last voyage was in 1502 While along the eastern coast of Central America, a storm led to his ship being wrecked

15. Troubled Times with Islanders Islanders were fed up with the poor treatment and the European gold obsession They did not supply the Europeans with food like they did in the past Retaliation Columbus threatened the islanders by stating he was going to punish them! He claimed he had the power of taking the moon away Knowing a lunar eclipse was going to occur It scared the Natives back into trade Eventually a rescue party came in November of 1504

16. Near the end of Columbus’ life He did regain some of the riches with that last expedition but Columbus never regained his title of Governor Columbus died May 20th, 1506 He left this world with the impression that he discovered Asia

17. Mixed Legacy Pros He opened up a trade route to Americas Proved that the world was indeed round Cons Destruction of native peoples Did not find a new easier trade route to India Overall Affected every society on the planet by the transfer of plants, animals, disease and cultures.

18. Work cited Information found at: "Christopher Columbus. biography." bio. True Story. A&E Television Networks, 2011. Web. 6 Oct 2011. <http://www.biography.com/people/christopher-columbus-9254209?page=1 >. All pictures found from Microsoft Clip Art