USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sights a Bahamian island on October 12, 1492, believing he has reached East Asia.

Detailed explanation-2: -With a crew of 90 men and three ships-the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria-he left from Palos de la Frontera, Spain. Columbus reasoned that since the world is round, he could sail west to reach “the east” (the lucrative lands of India and China).

Detailed explanation-3: -What did Columbus aim to do? 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-4: -The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas.

Detailed explanation-5: -Columbus was determined to prove that by sailing 3, 000 miles (4, 800 kilometers) west he would reach Asia. In 1484 Columbus applied for ships and a crew from King John II of Portugal. The king’s committee decided that his plan was unsound, and the application was refused. Meanwhile, Columbus’s wife had died.