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Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy.

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As a teen, he sailed to many places like: Greece, England, Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, West Africa, and Spain

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Columbus was shipwrecked off the coast of Portugal. He swam to shore and settled in Lisbon.

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His wife died, and Columbus moved to Spain.

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He thought about sailing West from Europe to reach Asia and trade spices and silk with India and China.

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Columbus went to Spain to persuade King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to finance his expedition. However, they were at war and they didn't have money and time for exploration.

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The king and queen approved Columbus's exploration. He began his journey with his crew and three ships called Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.

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They sailed from Spain and they stopped in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa.

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One of the crew finally did spot land. It was one of the Bahama Islands.

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Columbus thought that they had actually landed on one of the Spice Islands in Indonesia.

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He called the natives he encountered "Indians", because he thought they were inhabitants of the Indies 'a series of islands in southeast Asia'.

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Columbus returned home as a hero, since he found riches across the ocean such as: gold, pineapple, turkeys, parrots, and tobacco.
He was rewarded as the Admiral of the Ocean Sea and was named Viceroy of the Indies.

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Without Columbus's exploration, the Spanish colonies may never had been brought to North America.

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He made his fourth and final voyage, still searching for a passage to India or China.

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He returned to Spain.

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Christopher Columbus died at the age of 54.

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Americans commemorate Columbus's discoveries every year.