fShare

Tweet

Columbus Day is a national holiday in which we commemorate the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. He is known as the man who introduced the America to the rest of the world and vice versa.
Even though there is much controversy about him being the first foreigner to travel to America, when Columbus sailed the ocean over 500 years ago, he discovered modern civilization and changed the course of history. His journey opened up the Columbian Exchange between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, an exchange that got food and spices from America to the rest of the world and got horses introduced to the Americas, where they became an important part of the lives of many natives.
About Christopher Columbus
He was born in Genova in 1451. As a teenager, Christopher discovered his passion for traveling and went to sea, embarking in multiple trips. Later, he established his base in Portugal, where he initially attempted to gain royal patronage for a journey to the Orient.
As he failed, he tried to convince the French and English courts but got no success either. Then, he went to Spain and finally King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to be the sponsors of his expedition.
About Columbus’ expedition
Columbus had in total four trips from Spain across the Atlantic: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502’s history. He changed the humanity’s history with the Columbian Exchange, the historic exchange of plants, animals, culture, technology, people and even disease between the Old and New Worlds.
On 3 August 1492, Columbus and his fleet of three ships set sail across the Atlantic. The ships were the Sant María, the Pinta and the Niña.
After ten weeks, land was sighted and on 12 October, the group set foot on an island in what later was called the Bahamas. The group thought they had reached the Indies; therefore, they called the natives ‘Indians’.
When Columbus returned to Europe, he was made ‘admiral of the Seen Seas’ and viceroy of the Indies. Some months later, he set off on a second and larger trip. Time after that, Columbus made two more voyages to the newfound territories.
The first encounters with the natives were friendly. However, things did not take much time to change. In his last trips, Columbus suffered humiliation since he didn’t have success as an administrator and was accused of mismanagement.
Some historians argue that the voyage brought European-style politics to the New Worlds and helped shaped and set the foundations of what later became the United States of America.
At Wagner, we want to wish you a happy day, reflecting on discoveries that help you shape into what you want.