oct 12, 1492 - Columbus arrives in the Americas

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On October 12, 1492, Columbus arrived in the Bahamas (Guanahani). At this time, people did not know of the Pacific Ocean, so they thought that they had landed in Asia. Later in the month, they reached Cuba, which Colombus thought was mainland China. He returned to Spain with spices, gold and captives in 1493, which was received with the highest honours by the Spanish court.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to explore the continents of America and opened a whole new world for Europe. He was born in Genoa, Italy in1451 and died in 1506 because of heart failure. During his lifetime he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. He started exploring the seas at the young age of 10. Columbus was widely celebrated for everything he did, but with more information, we now know everything else he has done. Not only did he colonise the lands of already inhabited lands, but he abused the native people and brought disease to America, causing the deaths of thousands.

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