Christopher Columbus Misguided

Christopher Columbus is revered as one of the greatest explorers of the Age of Discovery. He is credited with discovering what is now America, although he never knew that. This report looks into the life of this great explorer, and his epic journey that changed the world and our lives. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy somewhere between August and September of 1451. Christopher Columbus was one of the first of the major Spanish explorers. Although he made many discoveries for Spain, one should not be misguided, Columbus was of Italian decent.

Rejected by the Portuguese king for a three-ship voyage of discovery, Columbus took his plan first to Genoa and then to Venice but was rejected there, too. He then went to the Spanish monarchy of Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon, in 1486. In August of 1492, Columbus left Spain in the Santa Maria, with the Pinta and the Niña along side. After 36 days of sailing, Columbus and several crewmen set foot on an island in the present day Bahamas, claiming it for Spain. There he encountered a timid but friendly group of natives who were open to trade with the sailors exchanging glass beads, cotton balls, parrots and spears. The Europeans also noticed bits of gold

the natives wore for adornment.
Columbus and his men continued their journey, visiting the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola and meeting with the leaders of the native population. During this time, the Santa Maria was wrecked on a reef off the coast of Hispaniola. With the help of some islanders, Columbus' men salvaged what they could and built the settlement Villa de la Navidad with lumber from the ship. Thirty-nine men stayed behind to occupy the settlement. Convinced his exploration had reached Asia, he set sail for home with the two remaining ships. Columbus returned and gave a glowing, exaggerated report of what he had discovered. He made several more expeditions back to the Americas, discovering and claiming more land.
Through his expeditions, the Columbian exchange came about. The Columbian Exchange refers to a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds. Exchanges of plants, animals, diseases and technology transformed European and Native American ways of life. Beginning after Columbus' discovery in 1492 the exchange lasted throughout the years of expansion and discovery. The Columbian Exchange impacted the social and cultural makeup of both sides of the Atlantic. Advancements in agricultural production, evolution of warfare, increased mortality rates and education are a few examples of the effect of the Columbian Exchange on both Europeans and Native Americans.
Christopher Columbus used a lot of different navigational tools.

He used magnetic compasses, nocturnals, maps, charts, celestial navigation, quadrants, and sand glasses. Sailors used the quadrant to measure the height of Polaris, or North Star. They learned from the Arabs that the height of the Polaris above the horizon changes depending on a person’s Latitude, the distance above or below the equator. Columbus also used a sandglass. This was used to keep track of time. The nocturnal was a navigational tool used to tell time by the celestial clock, or stars. One ring was set to the date, the Polaris was sighted through the hole in the center, and the arm was swung around to align with pointer stars - stars in the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, or

Cassiopeia.
Technology has drastically changed and has become much more efficient to use, especially on the sea. One of the biggest advancements would be a G.P.S. or a global positioning satellite. G.P.S. can pin point exact locations with lines of longitude and latitude. This would of greatly influenced Christopher Columbus’ voyages. For one, he probably wouldn’t have landed where he did. Initially, he was looking for a faster way to get to India, and ended up stumbling upon this new land that was unknown to the rest of the world. Also, when Columbus went on his voyages, he traveled on sail ships. Sail ships need wind in order for them to move. Today, most long traveling journeys are done with ships run on motors and engines, not just relying on the wind.
Technology has also advanced in weapons, such as guns and other deadly weapons. Some examples include, nuclear warfare, which could of completely wiped out the native populous. Columbus would have also had Internet and cell phone access. Instead of having to travel back and forth to Spain to share what he had found, he could simply send a text, email, or even face chat.
Technology is rapidly changing everyday and new things are constantly being invented and created. All of his crewmen probably would survive the long journey. They would have enough food and it wouldn’t go bad, and if they were to ever run out or ever needed help, there are many coastguards that would come right to their safety and rescue them. Overall, his journey would have had a completely different.