(CNN) "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." That rhyme has long been how American students were introduced to Christopher Columbus in elementary school. Students are taught that Columbus is...

Christopher Columbus is the explorer who is credited for discovering America. Of course, there were already people living in America at the time who we call Native Americans. There even was a European, Leif Ericsson, who had been to the Americas before. However, it was Columbus' voyage that started the exploration and colonization of the Americas.

On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. On October 12, the expedition reached land, probably Watling Island in the...

"Laurence Bergreen's ambitious new biography, Columbus: The Four Voyages [is] a spellbinding epic that's simultaneiously a profoundly private portrait of the most complex, compelling, controversial creature ever to board a boat.

Christopher Columbus departed Spain on September 25, 1493, on his second voyage to the New World. 17 assorted vessels and over 1200 men made up "The Grand Fleet" in an attempt to establish a permanent Spanish colony.

Columbus's FIRST voyage (1492-1493), was truly historic. He used his knowledge of the "trade winds" to make the longest voyage ever out of the sight of land. Thinking he had made it to India, he referred to the inhabitants as "Indians," and the name stuck. These were peaceful Arawak natives.

Between 1492 to 1504, he made a total of four voyages toward the Caribbean and South America and credit t goes to Christopher Columbus for opening up the way to America and started the permanent European colonization of America. Christopher Columbus Childhood & Early Life :