1. Christopher Columbus A Maritime Explorer By: Ryan Cunningham and Ryan Himmelman

2. Historical Background • Born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. • Died May 20, 1506. • Birth name was Christophorus Columbo. • He was the oldest of five children. • He probably did not complete his education. • Became an admiral for the crown of Castile.

3. Historical Background • Tried to get countries to support his journey to find a new route to Asia. The King of Spain finally gave him permission. • In 1492 he set sail for Asia with three ships. • He believed to have landed in Asia but it was actually the Bahamas. • Made four trips across the Atlantic to the New World.

4. Physical Appearance • Not much is know about the physical appearance of Christopher Columbus. • It is believed that he had red hair that eventually turned white. • His skin was light that had a reddish tint from the sun. He was also described as a large man with a normal build, high cheeks, long face, and light eyes. • This is believed to be the most widely accepted portrait of him.

5. Clothing • Probably wore clothes that most merchants and noblemen along the northern Mediterranean wore. • Brimless hat, a padded undercoat, a pleated overcoat, a girdle, and soft shoes

6. Language • Columbus wrote in almost all Spanish with a Portuguese dialect. • He also kept journals that were written in Latin an Greek. • He sometimes spoke in Latin, which was considered to be the language of scholarship.

7. Religious Practices • Thought to be born into a Christian household. • Columbus was a member of the Roman Catholic religion. • As he got older he became more and more religious. • He believed he heard divine voices and thought god sent him throughout the world to spread Christianity.

8. Family Life • Columbus’ family was very poor. • His father, Domenico Colombo, was a wool weaver. • His mother was Susanna Fontanarossa. He also had a brother Bartolomeo.

9. First Voyage • Columbus’ first voyage began in 1492. He was in search of a new passage to India so they could transport gold and spices back to Europe. • After two months of sailing Columbus and his three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria landed in Central America. • When they returned to Europe, word of his new findings quickly spread.

10. Second Voyage • The second voyage started in 1493, with the goal of finding new land. This time there were 17 ships and over 1000 men. • He landed on an island that he called Dominica. He explored the Caribbean for ten months before returning home to Spain.

11. Third Voyage • Columbus’ second voyage started in 1498, when he left Spain. The six ship fleet landed on the island of Trinidad again in Central America. • He explored the region and finally made it to mainland South America before turning back to Europe.

12. Final Voyage • Columbus’ set out on his final voyage to try to find a passage into the Indian ocean because he still believed he had landed in Asia on the previous voyages. • He did no find this passage because he was never actually made it to Asia in the first place. • He then returned to Spain for the final time.

13. Images

14. Bibliography • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/columbus.shtml • http://www.answers.com/topic/christopher-columbus • Portrait 1

15. Bibliography • Columbus in The New World • http://www.christopher-columbus.eu/ • http://www.castellobanfi.com/features/story_3.html