Interesting Facts About Christopher Columbus
The problem with facts about Christopher Columbus is that there are less of them than you might imagine. Much of what you may have learned in school is being revised as historians continue to explore the life of this famous explorer. Even things as simple as his nationality are open for debate. We do know that Columbus successfully petitioned the king and queen of Spain to receive financing for a trip west across the Atlantic Ocean. It was already common knowledge that the Earth was round by this point, so there is no truth to the persistent rumor that Columbus proved the world is round. Instead, by using the shape of the Earth, Columbus assumed that he could reach India and their valuable spices, teas and cloth by sailing west. Voyages to India at this time required either a long overland trip across Europe and the Middle East or a long southern trip by ship around the southern tip of Africa. Both paths had their inherent dangers. The overland trip risked being attacked by