Christopher Columbus - Paragraph

Christopher Columbus - Paragraph

Christopher Columbus was an explorer. In 1492, he sailed from Europe to America. He and his sailors crossed the Atlantic Ocean, not knowing where they would land. It was a voyage into the unknown. After Columbus, other Europeans began to explore and settle in America. Christopher Columbus was born in 1451. It was a time of new ideas and discoveries in Europe. We call this time the Renaissance - a word that means 'rebirth'. People were making maps of new lands. They were building ships to explore places they had never visited before. Columbus did not 'discover' America. There were many people already living there. Vikings from Europe had landed in America 500 years before. But Columbus did not know that. His voyage started regular contact between America and Europe. People in Europe wanted to find a new sea route, to trade with Asia. They wanted to send ships to India, China and the East Indies. The Portuguese tried to sail South, around Africa. It was a long way. Columbus wanted to sail west. Columbus hoped to reach China in a few days. He needed money to make his dream come true. Columbus tried to persuade rich people to help him. Most laughed at him. At last, king Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain gave him money for ships.