Exploration · Technology · 1451–1506
Born: 1 September 1451 · Died: 19 May 1506 · Age: 54
Genoese explorer whose voyages for Spain from 1492 reached the Americas and opened the way to European colonisation
Did you know?Despite his fame for reaching the Americas, he died still believing he had discovered a new route to Asia.
Columbus is one of history's most debated figures, celebrated for centuries and now increasingly criticised. In 1492, sponsored by the Spanish crown, he sailed west across the Atlantic and reached the Caribbean, opening lasting contact between Europe and the Americas. That contact brought enormous exchanges of crops, animals and ideas, but also disease, conquest and slavery that devastated Indigenous peoples. His own rule as governor in the Caribbean was so harsh that he was arrested and sent back to Spain in chains. How he should be remembered remains a live question in many countries today.
Christopher Columbus (between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed four Spanish transatlantic voyages in the name of the Catholic Monarchs, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.
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Profile
Genoese explorer, born 1451
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451.
He sailed for Spain in 1492.
He made four voyages across the Atlantic.
He died in Valladolid in 1506.
Career highlights
Did you know?He died still believing he had reached Asia.
Questions people ask
b. 1996Photo: PhilipRomano · CC BY-SA 4.0
b. 1940Photo: Frankie Fouganthin · CC BY-SA 4.0
1896–1977Photo: Christian Jansen · CC BY 3.0
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1958–2009Photo: Matthew Rolston; Distributed by Epic Records · Public domain
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1632–1704Photo: Godfrey Kneller · Public domain
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Last reviewed: October 2026