10/13/2022
Learn Our History Today: On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus famously “discovered” the New World, landing on an island in the present-day Bahamas. Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451, and throughout his early life he became obsessed with finding a western water route to the Far East. Columbus thought that only the Atlantic Ocean stood between Europe and Asia, and he travelled around to various rulers of the time, seeking funding for what he called the “Enterprise of the Indies.” Eventually it was Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who agreed to fund him, promising Columbus three ships and crews.
On August 3, 1492, he set off with his fleet of three ships: the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. After more than two months of sailing, land was reached on October 12. While there had been earlier Viking settlements in Newfoundland and Greenland in the eleventh century, making Columbus not the first person to see the New World, his “discovery” or “rediscovery” in 1492 was a monumental event in the history of mankind. It paved the way, for better or worse, for European settlement in the New World and most of the modern nations in North and South America today.
Columbus would end up making three more journeys in 1493, 1498, and 1502. He was responsible for exploring what is today the Caribbean, Central America, and parts of South America. His goal with each was still to find a passage to the East Indies, but unfortunately for Columbus this would never materialize. In 1506, after returning to Spain, Columbus died after a lengthy battle with illness. Today, Columbus and his legacy are the subject of much controversy. Many historians point out his poor treatment, and even enslavement, of natives at different points during his time in the New World, viewing Columbus in a very negative light. Others venerate Columbus’ accomplishments in terms of exploration and discovery and acknowledge the historic role he played in paving the way for the modern western world as we know it today.
Also, on this day in U.S. history:
1792: The first celebration of Columbus Day is held in New York.
1900: The U.S. Navy commissions the first modern submarine, the USS Holland, named for its designer John Philip Holland.
1901: Theodore Roosevelt renames the "Executive Mansion" to "The White House".
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Image-Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
