Columbus’s expeditions opened a long-lasting Atlantic world that linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas. They spurred plantation slavery, transferred crops like maize, potatoes, and cacao to Europe, and introduced horses, cattle, and disease to the Western Hemisphere. Culturally and politically, his memory animates histories, maps, monuments, and disputes. Some observers credit him with initiating modern globalisation; others view his career as a catastrophe for Indigenous peoples. Debates over Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day show how his name anchors conversations about colonial expansion, memory
Norse Vikings, led by Leif Erikson, landed in Newfoundland (in modern-day Canada) around 1000 CE (Common Era).
A study published in the journal Nature provided precise scientific proof that Vikings were active in North America in the year 1021 AD—exactly 471 years before Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492.
The Site: The evidence comes from L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada. Discovered in 1960, this is the only confirmed Norse settlement site in North America.
Christopher Columbus (1492) [1451-1506]
- Who: Italian explorer Cristoforo Colombo, sailing for Spain.
- Where: He landed on an island in the Bahamas (and later Cuba and Hispaniola). He met the local Guanahani native inhabitants. He wanted to find a direct western sea route to India, China (Cathay), and the broader East Indies to bypass Ottoman-controlled land routes and trade directly for valuable spices, gold, and silk.
- He believed he had reached the "Indies" (the regions of South and East Asia, including India and China), and he called the natives Indinians. Until the 196Os Native Americans were called Indians.
- Outcome: This voyage marked the start of permanent European contact, exploration, and colonisation across the Americas.
- 16th Century (c. 1550–1580s): Navigators began mounting compass bowls on gimbals (free-swinging hinged rings). This kept the compass level despite the rolling motion of a ship.
