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CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. from “Explorers Who Got Lost”. Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy. Genoa is right on the Mediterranean Sea. As a child he and his brothers worked with their father, who made cloth.
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CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS from “Explorers Who Got Lost”
Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy. Genoa is right on the Mediterranean Sea.
As a child he and his brothers worked with their father, who made cloth.
Whenever he was not working, he would watch the ships and listen to the sailors talk about the sea.
As a boy he took short trips along the coast of Italy to sell his father’s cloth.
Every trip was a new exciting adventure for the young sailor.
He always found his way home on these short trips by following the coastline.
When he was 15 years old, he left home to work on the ships that sailed the Mediterranean Sea.
He learned how to navigate by studying the North Star. He learned how to use the sun’s position in the sky.
He learned how to use a compass. He learned to look at birds, seaweed and the color of the water.
He learned everything he could about the sea and sailing. He hoped to sail the world and find adventure.
Many people knew that the world was round. Christopher also believed that the world was round.
Christopher wanted to become rich. He wanted to find a shortcut to the Indies. He would sail to the west.
The Indies had spices, jewels, gold and perfumes. Christopher wanted to be rich and famous.
In 1476, when Christopher was only 25 years old, he was sailing with a fleet of ships from Italy to England.
The ships were attacked by pirates. Canon balls flew back and forth during the battle.
Christopher was wounded and fell into the sea as his ship exploded.
He stayed with his brother while he was recovering from his wounds. He took a job as a mapmaker.
Christopher worked with his brother for 8 years drawing maps of all the places he had been.
Christopher always thought of the sea. He decided he would be the one to find the shortcut to the Indies.
He decided to sail straight across the Atlantic Ocean into the “Sea of Darkness.”
No sailors wanted to go with him. They thought they would run out of food and water before they saw land again.
Columbus got married and had a son after he moved to Portugal. His wife was from a wealthy family.
This meant that Christopher was not a common seaman anymore. He had money and power now.
Now he needed ships, men and supplies for his voyage. He asked the King of Portugal for help.
The King thought Columbus bragged too loudly. He refused to give him supplies for the voyage.
Columbus went to see the King and Queen of Spain. The Queen liked Columbus but did not give him money for the voyage.
After 6 long years Queen Isabella of Spain asked to see Columbus. She was ready to help him.
But Columbus was mad that the Queen had made him wait 6 years. He demanded money and royal titles before he would sail for Spain.
Queen Isabella told him he could have everything he wanted. Spain would help him sail to the Indies.
Three ships were chosen for the voyage: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
Now Columbus needed sailors, but everyone thought he was crazy. They thought that sea serpents would swallow the ships.
Finally, with the help of Martin Pinzon, Columbus had 90 sailors. Now he needed supplies.
He needed firewood, compasses, spare sails, water, biscuits, salt meat, cheese, beans, rice, almonds, and sardines.
He also needed weapons in case the natives weren’t friendly. He also needed trinkets to trade with the natives.
On August 3, 1492, Columbus stood on the deck of the Santa Maria and shouted, “Hoist Anchor!”
Day after day they sailed west. The sailors were afraid. They feared they would never return home.
On October 7, 1492 the Nina fired a cannon. Land had been sighted at last. But it was a false alarm.
Every day they thought they spotted land. Every day they were wrong. The sailors were starting to panic.
The men on the Santa Maria decided to take over the ship. They raced toward Columbus.
He told them that they would see land in 3 days. They agreed to give him 3 days.
On the night of the second day they spotted land. Columbus was sure they were off the coast of Japan.
When the sun came up they saw white sandy beaches and palm trees. They spotted bright flowers and strangely colored birds.
