Most of us know that Christopher Columbus "sailed the ocean blue in 1492" and that we celebrate his discovery of the New World on the second Monday of October (usually with a day off of school!), but what else do you know about this famous explorer?
Here are a few things about Christopher Columbus that you might not know:
- He was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy, and began sailing when he was only 15 years old.
- Some theories suggest that Christopher Columbus's first job was working as a pirate.
- Columbus had a brother, Bartholomew, who was a cartographer (a map maker). Bartholomew shared his brother's enthusiasm for the riches thought to be in China and East Asia.
- Columbus was persistent! It took him over six years to convince Spain's Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand to pay for his trip.
- Columbus and his crew of 90 men sailed their first voyage on three ships – the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María. The men on these ships got very close. Each ship was no longer than a tennis court and only about 30 feet wide.
- A sailor first spotted land on October 12, 1492. By this time, the crew had been living on the ships for 35 days.
- Columbus thought he had landed in India. That's why he called the people he met there "Indians." In actuality, he had landed in the Bahamas.
- The Santa Maria wrecked on Christmas Day in 1492 and was unable to make the return trip to Spain. Because the other two ships were so small, not everyone could go back and 40 men had to stay behind.
- Columbus made return trips to the New World two more times, for a total of three visits. He died only two years after his last trip to the New World, at the age of 55.
- Nobody is really sure what Columbus looked like. There are no portraits known to exist so the pictures we see in books and online are most likely artists' renditions.
Now, as you enjoy your Columbus Day holiday, you can share your new, amazing discoveries about Christopher Columbus with friends and family!
Check out some fun, free crafts for Columbus Day on DLTK Kids!
