10 Interesting Facts: How Christopher Columbus Discovered America
On October 12, 1492, in the early cold morning, a sailor on the caravel "Pinta," one of Christopher Columbus's three ships, saw the outlines of a coast through his spyglass and joyfully shouted, "Land!" Neither Columbus nor any of his crew members could have imagined that this event would go down in history as the day of the discovery of a new, yet unknown to Europeans, part of the world—America.
1. Columbus was convinced throughout his life that he had reached the eastern coast of Asia, although he was actually about 15,000 kilometers away from it.
At that time, it was already known that the Earth was round, but the size of the Earth was still unclear. It was believed that our planet was much smaller, and that by sailing strictly west from Europe, a shorter sea route to China and India—the countries that enticed explorers with their silks and spices—could be found. This was the route Christopher Columbus dreamed of discovering.
2. It took Columbus 7 years to convince the King and Queen of Spain and their scholarly advisors to help him organize an expedition across the ocean.
In 1485, Columbus arrived in Spain. The only way for him to fulfill his dream and embark on a voyage was to gain the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. At first, no one believed him. Court scholars simply couldn't understand how sailing west could lead to lands far to the east. It seemed absolutely impossible to them. They said, "Even if somehow one managed to descend into another hemisphere, how would one return from there? Even with the most favorable wind, a ship could never climb the enormous water mountain formed by the Earth's convexity, if we even assume that the Earth is indeed round."
It wasn't until 1491 that Columbus managed to gain an audience with Ferdinand and Isabella again and convince them that he could indeed find a sea route to India.
3. The crew of the ships had to be assembled from prisoners serving sentences.
No one else volunteered to participate in the dangerous voyage. Why would they? After all, it was impossible to predict how long the journey would last and what dangers lay ahead. If even the scholars initially didn't believe in Columbus's plan, what could be said for the common sailors?
4. Columbus was provided with three caravels: the "Santa Maria" (about 40 meters long), the "Niña," and the "Pinta" (both about 20 meters long). Even for that time, these ships were very small.
Setting sail on them across the ocean with a crew of 90 seemed incredibly audacious. For example, only Columbus himself, the ship captains, and a few other crew members had their own beds. The sailors had to sleep in shifts on the floor in the cramped hold, on damp barrels and crates, for many weeks of the journey.
5. The further the ships sailed westward, the more panic gripped the sailors.
They had never before ventured so far into the ocean and so far from familiar shores. Columbus even intentionally decided not to inform everyone about how far they had already traveled and cited much smaller figures. The sailors were eager to believe in any signs of approaching land: encountering whales, albatrosses, or floating seaweed. Although, in reality, all these "signs" had nothing to do with the proximity of land.
6. Christopher Columbus was one of the first people in the world to observe the deviation of the magnetic needle.
At that time, it was not yet known that the compass needle points not exactly to the north, but to the magnetic north pole. Once, Columbus found that the magnetic needle was not pointing towards the North Star, but was increasingly deviating from that direction. Naturally, he was very alarmed. Could it be that the compass on the ship was inaccurate or perhaps broken? Just in case, Columbus decided to keep his observation almost secret.
A compass from the end of the 15th century (this is roughly what Columbus had)
7. Before land appeared on October 12, 1492, 70 days of sailing had passed. However, the seen outlines of the coast were not a continent but a small island, later named San Salvador.
In total, Columbus made four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean (and each time he thought he was approaching the shores of India). During this time, he visited countless islands in the Caribbean Sea, and only during his third voyage did he see the coast of a continent. During the fourth voyage, for several months, Columbus sailed along the coast, hoping to find a passage leading to the long-awaited India. Of course, no passage was found. Completely exhausted sailors had to return to the already familiar islands empty-handed.
8. Columbus named the indigenous people he encountered on the islands Indians because he sincerely believed that the discovered lands were part of India.
It's strange that this "mistaken" name for the indigenous people of America has persisted to this day. Interestingly, with the Ukrainian language, we got lucky—we call the people of India "Indians," thus distinguishing them by just one letter from the Indians of America. In English, for example, both words are spelled exactly the same: "Indians." Therefore, when referring to American Indians, they are immediately specified as "American Indians" or simply "Native Americans."
9. Columbus brought back many products unknown to Europeans from his voyages: for example, corn, tomatoes, and potatoes. And in America, thanks to Columbus, grapes, as well as horses and cows, appeared.
This movement of goods, plants, and animals between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (America) lasted for several hundred years and was called the "Columbian Exchange."
10. Columbus's knowledge of astronomy miraculously saved him in the most dangerous moment!
During his last voyage, the crew found themselves in a very difficult situation. The ships were wrecked, provisions were running out, and the people were exhausted and sick. They had no choice but to wait for help and hope for the hospitality of the Indians, who were not very friendly towards foreigners. That's when Columbus had a clever idea. From astronomical tables, he knew that on February 29, 1504, a lunar eclipse would occur. Columbus summoned the local leaders and announced that as punishment for their hostility, the white man's god had decided to take the moon from the islanders. And indeed, his prediction came true—exactly on the specified date, the moon began to be covered by a dark shadow. Then the Indians began to beg Columbus to return the moon to them, agreeing instead to feed the strangers with the best food and fulfill all their wishes.
