USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. While spending most of his early years at sea, Columbus began to believe that he could find a shortcut to the Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean.

Detailed explanation-2: -In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans wanted to find sea routes to the Far East. Columbus wanted to find a new route to India, China, Japan and the Spice Islands. If he could reach these lands, he would be able to bring back rich cargoes of silks and spices.

Detailed explanation-3: -Columbus sailed from Palos de la Frontera on Friday, August 3, 1492, reached the Canary Islands six days later and stayed there for a month to finish outfitting his ships. He left on September 6, and five weeks later, in about the place he expected, he found the Indies.

Detailed explanation-4: -He hoped that this route would be shorter. “The Indies” was a generic label used by Europeans to describe all of the lands of east Asia. So when Columbus found land that he thought was part of Asia but which other Europeans didn’t know about, he called them the West Indies.

Detailed explanation-5: -Christopher Columbus believed that by sailing east, he could reach the East Indies. It took ten years for Columbus to finally fulfill his belief that the Indies lie to the west.