Columbus Day … a major event

The four trips Christopher Columbus made to America turned what people thought was a suicidal trip into a common voyage. Columbus “sailed the ocean blue” differing from previous explorations that simply sailed along the known coasts farther and farther to new land, or skipped along from island to island. Before Columbus, exploring sailors needed to set foot on or at least see land every few days. But Columbus sailed directly into the unknown. There were no charts. It was daring. After five weeks of seeing nothing the crews were afraid. They nearly mutinied and Columbus nearly turned back. But on October 12, 1492 land was sighted.

The Pre-Columbian era in America came to an end, and the Columbian Exchange began.

Whoever you believe ‘discovered’ America, Christopher Columbus’s reaching the New World is recognized as a major event in world history. Any others who made it to America before him achieved nothing of consequence, even the Indians.