Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator who is best known for his voyages across the Atlantic Ocean in the late 15th century. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451 and began his seafaring career as a teenager.
In 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, on a mission to find a western route to Asia. Instead, he reached the Caribbean islands, which he named the "West Indies".
