Christopher Columbus, a navigator from Genoa, believed he could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean.

He based his plan on a significant underestimation of the Earth's circumference.

After being rejected by other European monarchs, he secured the sponsorship of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain.

In 1492, his first voyage with three ships—the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María—made landfall on an island in the Bahamas.

Columbus believed he had reached the East Indies, near Asia, and therefore called the indigenous people he encountered 'Indians.'

He made a total of four voyages to the Americas between 1492 and 1504, exploring the Caribbean islands and the coast of Central and South America.

His voyages initiated the first lasting contact between Europe and the Americas.

Columbus's role as governor of the new colonies was controversial, marked by harsh treatment of the native Taíno population.

He died in 1506, still convinced he had found a new route to Asia.

His voyages triggered the era of large-scale European exploration and colonization of the Americas.