Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
It has been over 500 years since Columbus sailed to America. He made four voyages to America. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. His real name was Cristoforo Colombo. His parents were Domencio Colombo and Suzanna Fontanarossa. His family had manufactured wool for three generations. He had three brothers and a sister. In his teens he started to become a skilled sailor. In 1479 he married Felipa Perestrelo de Moniz from Portugal. Shortly after giving birth to her son Diego, she died.
On his way back from the Portuguese trading fortress, Sao Jorge da Mina, he began to form his "great idea." It would be faster and easier to travel to Asia by sea. He could sail west across the Atlantic Ocean instead of sailing around the tip of Africa and across the Indian Ocean. He called his plan "The Enterprise of the Indies." Columbus was not the first to think of this idea, but sailing across the Atlantic would not be easy. It would be a dangerous and risky voyage, but with success came fame and glory.
