 In 1492, Christopher Columbus reached the Americas. This is still commemorated today as his voyages revealed two continents new to Europeans. Let's see what his discovery was all about. Christopher Columbus was an Italian-born explorer who explored with the backing from the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. On August 3rd, 1492, Columbus set sail from Palos in Spain with three ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. His aim was to find a western sea route to China, India, and the Spice Islands of Asia. At the time, most educated Europeans did not know that the Pacific Ocean existed. Therefore, Columbus assumed that only the Atlantic lay between Europe and the riches of the East Indies. On October 12th, Columbus reached land. He thought it was an outlying Japanese island, but soon realized that it was an entirely new territory. It was the Bahamas. Later that October, Columbus sited more land. This time, he thought it was mainland China, but again, it was a territory new to Europeans. It was Cuba. The same happened in December, when his expedition thought they had reached Japan. But it was Hispaniola. It was here that Columbus established Spain's first colony in the Americas, with 39 of his men. And so, Columbus became the first European to explore the Americas, since the Vikings established colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century. In March 1493, Columbus returned to Spain in triumph. After this discovery, he crossed the Atlantic several more times. Columbus led a total of four expeditions to the New World, exploring various Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the South and Central American mainland. Columbus never found a western ocean route to the Far East. However, when he died in 1506, he had no idea of the scope of what he did achieve. Nevertheless, the discovery of the Americas opened a whole new world to Europeans, and in the long run, enriched the lives of all involved.