Who was Christopher Columbus?

Today we know what the world looks like. We've taken pictures of it from space!

We know there are many countries, some far away, and that there are lots of different people. But for thousands of years people didn’t know this.
It was only when explorers travelled to new places that they met each other.

One of the most famous explorers was Christopher Columbus. He lived over 500 years ago.

Columbus wanted to travel to China and India, countries known as ‘The Indies’ which were full of wealth.

The Indies were in the east, but Columbus thought it would be quicker to go west, around the world.

It was a journey into the unknown and would cost a lot of money.

The King of Spain paid for three ships. The Pinta, the Niña and the Santa Maria.

In 1492, Columbus set sail. A few months later, the crew spotted land. Columbus thought he had reached the Indies. But he was wrong! He'd found a part of the world new to Europeans.

Columbus became famous as the man who discovered new lands called the Americas.

The King of Spain was happy, but the discovery was bad for people already living there.

Spain sent soldiers to take over these new lands. They took the people's treasures, like gold. Spain became very rich.

The locals were treated cruelly, some taken as slaves. Many died because of diseases brought from Spain.

Today people disagree about Columbus. Some say he was a brave hero. Others say his discovery caused misery for the people where he travelled.

One thing we can say for certain is that finding the continent of America was a huge event for Europeans, and that is down to Christopher Columbus.