Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Italy. His father and both grandfathers were cloth makers. He probably worked as a weaver before going to sea.
We don't know much about Christopher Columbus. He had blue eyes and red hair. He lived in Spain for a long time. He married the daughter of a sea captain. For some time he earned his living partly by making sea voyages, and partly by drawing maps and selling them.
In the fifteenth century most people thought that the earth was flat. They didn't believe that India lay beyond the Atlantic Ocean. They knew only three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. Christopher Columbus was sure that our planet was round. He decided to reach India by sailing to the west. In 1492 the King and the Queen of Spain gave him money to go to India. Nobody wanted to help him. Many years after he sailed with three small ships into Atlantic Ocean. They were the Santa Maria, the Nina and the Pinta. After sailing 4000 miles (6400 kilometers) they reached some land. When they landed they saw strange trees and flowers, men and women with olivecolored skin. They gathered around sailors and looked at them with great surprise.
Columbus thought that it must be India. He called these islands the West Indies. People began to speak about the land as "the New World." But it was America. So, Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.
Columbus made many voyages to the New World. The second great voyage of Christopher Columbus took place in 1493. He had seventeen ships with him. He reached Cuba and discovered some other islands of the West Indies.
Twice more Columbus tried to find India. During his third voyage, enemies spread false rumours about him. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were led to believe that he was a tyrant. He was sent home in chains. Back in Spain, he quickly proved his innocence.
Columbus made his last voyage in 1502-1504. He discovered many islands and made them a part of Spain. He was seriously ill and died in 1506. Columbus was a great explorer and many places have been named in his honour.
But America was named after another explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, because he was the first man who understood it was the new continent.
Names
Christopher Columbus['kristəfə kə'l^mbəs] — Кристофор Колумб
the Atlantic Ocean[ə'tlæntik 'əuŞn] — Атлантичний океан
Asia['eiŞə]— Азія
Cuba['kju:bə] - Куба
Amerigo Vespucci[əmə'ri:gəu ve'spu:tŞi] — Америго Веспуччи