Every year on the second Monday in October, Columbus Day commemorates Christopher Columbus and his 1492 voyage across the Atlantic. But what was he looking for, where did he land, and how did his journey change history?
The Journey Across the Atlantic
In 1492, Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer sailing under the Spanish flag, set out to find a westward sea route to Asia. His expedition received financial support from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.
Columbus believed he could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. However, he underestimated the size of the Earth and the distance involved.
His fleet consisted of three ships: the Santa María, the Niña, and the Pinta. After weeks at sea, the expedition reached the Caribbean on October 12, 1492.
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Columbus believed he had reached the islands of Asia, which Europeans often referred to as the Indies. In reality, he had arrived in the Caribbean.
Because of this misunderstanding, he referred to the Indigenous people he encountered as Indios, meaning Indians in Spanish. The name West Indies also became associated with the Caribbean region.
Columbus continued to believe he had reached Asia during his later voyages, even as European understanding of the geography of the region evolved.
A New World for Europeans
Later explorers and mapmakers recognized that these lands were not Asia but part of continents previously unknown to most Europeans. The name America came from Amerigo Vespucci’s name.