ColumbusCircle,
NewYork
ItalianGaetanoRusso’s statue
was erected in 1892 tomark
the400th anniversary of
Columbus’s
landing.
Monument to the
Discoveries, Lisbon
This 1960celebrationof
Portuguese seafarers features
VascodaGama, Ferdinand
Magellan and30others.
Nelson’sColumn,
London
This Trafalgar Square
monolith, built in 1843 to
commemorateAdmiral
Nelson, towers over London.
1.Genoa, 1451
Christopher
Columbuswas
born into a family
ofweavers,
althoughhe
trained as a sailor.
2. Lisbon, 1477
Hemoved to
Portugal, where
hemarried andhis
first son, Diego,
was born.
3. Palosde la
Frontera, 1492
Columbus set sail
with three ships
– the
Nina
,
Pinta
and
SantaMaria
–withbacking
from Spain’s King
Ferdinand II and
Queen Isabella to
find aprofitable
western route to
theOrient.
4. SanSalvador,
12October 1492
Columbuswas sure
hehad reached
the Indies although
hehad landed in
theBahamas. The
ships then visited
Haiti,Cubaand the
DominicanRepublic
before returning
homewithgold
and tobacco.
5.Hispaniola, 1493
Columbus led a
fleet of 17 ships
to theCaribbean
island, whichhad
been settledby
crew from the
SantaMaria
,
and sighted the
Virgin Islands and
Guadeloupe.
6. Trinidad, 1498
His third voyage
also reached
mainland South
America.
7.Cadiz, 1502
Heembarked
on afinal voyage
with second son
Fernando, reaching
Panamabefore
being stranded
for one year in
Jamaica.
8. Valladolid, 1506
Columbus died
believinghehad
found a route to
theEast Indies,
but he’dopened
theNewWorld
for Europeans
tocolonise.
MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY; MIDDLE TEMPLE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
All youneed toknowaboutoneof theworld’smost famousexplorers
Hero i
n
focus
ChristopherColumbus
Columbus: great sailor, smallmonument
Just how far out
was he?
Anauticalmap from 1544,
just over50 years after
Columbus first set foot in
theNewWorld
CircumferenceoftheEarth
Actual:40,100km
Columbus:30,200km
50m
25m
51.6m
50m
21m
8
1
4
5
6
7 3
2
First voyage
Second voyage
Third voyage
Fourth voyage
114\
n
