Christopher Columbus is forever credited with opening up the Americas to European colonization. While true, he himself never had much luck. His first two colonies were quickly destroyed, leading him to be forced back to Spain in chains in order to be tried for lying to his crew. His final two trips across the Atlantic were even less successful, as his brutal treatment of the native populations led them to stop trading with him. Nonetheless, his glowing reports and demonstration that there really was land to the west of Europe ensured his
