Why Is Christopher Columbus Important

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That phrase has been around for decades, but why is it so important? How did this man named Christopher Columbus manage to engrave his name into history? Every person in America knows this name because he is an integral part to the beginning of America. Not only did he do that but he started the ball rolling for hundreds of other different opportunities to take shape all over the world. The beginning of it all was in 1451. The son of a wool merchant in Genoa, Italy, Columbus was born. He began his sea fairing at an early age. While he was still a teenager he got a job aboard a merchant ship. In 1476, Columbus took his first trip into the Atlantic and it nearly cost him his life. French privateers attacked the ship he was on off the cost of Portugal and he floated back to shore. From there Columbus traveled to Lisbon Portugal. Here he began to study navigation and cartography. (Bio) while he was here he also began to settle down and he married Felipa Perestrello. Columbus and …show more content…
(Bio)He failed in almost every aspect when you look at the goals that he set to for fill but what he set in motion was far greater than any fame or riches could ever hold. The finding of the Americas impacted the whole world in some aspect or another. The transfer of new goods changed the lives and cultures of people all over the globe. Horses and other things from the old world allowed the Indians to go from nomads to hunter gathers. In return corn and other vegetables became a staple in the diets of Europeans. Not only did the discovery help people but it also cost the lives of many. New diseases were transferred to all corners of the world killing millions. (Bio) Wiping out a huge chunk of history that will never be found. He also set the table for the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. Because Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 he shaped history from there