Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean under the Spanish crown, permanently linking the Eastern and Western Hemispheres and opening the way for widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas. His first voyage in 1492, when he landed in the Bahamas believing he had reached Asia, is considered the starting point of the modern era of globalization. His legacy remains deeply contested, celebrated by some as a symbol of exploration and condemned by others as the instigator of indigenous peoples' genocide.