Christopher Columbus was one of the greatest explorers in history and is widely hailed as one of the first Europeans to lead a fleet to America.

Columbus’ life was surrounded in myth even during his lifetime and little is known about his early life. Historians agree that he was most likely born in Genoa in 1451, though this has never been proved conclusively.

He probably began his career at sea while working as a merchant. From 1477, Columbus went on a series of voyages to places including Madeira, Ireland, Iceland and Guinea. On these trips, he learned as much as he could about Atlantic wind systems, but his great ambition was to discover the western sea route to Asia.

Columbus set sail for the Indies, across the Atlantic, on 3rd August 1492. He arrived on the coast of what we now know as the Bahamas ten weeks later, on 12th October. He returned to Spain in triumph and, over the next six years, he completed three more voyages for the Spanish crown. He died of complications from gout on 20th May 1506.