Columbus, Christopher (1451-1506), Italian-Spanish navigator, who sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a route to Asia but landed on islands in the Caribbean Sea. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. In the mid-1470s he made his first trading voyage in the Aegean Sea. Believing that the earth was smaller than was previously thought and that it was composed mostly of land, Columbus eventually decided that Asia could be reached quickly by …showed first 75 words of 495 total…

…showed last 75 words of 495 total…repairs on his vessels and sailed to Honduras. He then cruised along the coast of Central America for nearly six months in search of the elusive westward passage across the continent. In January 1503 he landed in Panama and established a settlement there. When his ships foundered near Jamaica in June 1503, Columbus sent to Española for help. Nearly a year passed before the stranded party was rescued. After returning to Spain, Columbus never sailed again.