Fun Facts About Christopher Columbus
Though all Americans know that Christopher Columbus was responsible for finding the New World, very few know any facts about him. This could be because there is not much known about his childhood, other than his date of birth and name of his parents. The records and written text keeps talking about October 12, 1492, which is celebrated in the United States as Columbus Day, when Columbus sailed into present-day Bahamas. |
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Furthermore, all the paintings of Columbus, including those that are reproduced, may not be accurate, as they were done well after he had died. So, we are not even sure whether the paintings truly depict the way Columbus used to look.
Most historians claim that Columbus was perhaps born some time between August 25 and October 31 in the year 1451. Initially, his father was a weaver and later became a merchant, who used to sell cheese through a stall located in Genoa. Then, he went on to become a publican in the city of Savona. Even today, there is a house in the city that people claim belonged to the Christopher Columbus and his family.
According to his own claims, Columbus first sailed when he was around ten years old. He was also part of the Genoese plot to overthrow the royalty of Naples. And, after taking some very precious cargo to Bristol, he came back and got married to Portuguese noblewoman in the year 1479. However, historians claim that Columbus was not from Spain. Rather, they believe he could have been from Portugal, France or Catalonia, as he always said that his name was Colon, which is a popular family name in the aforementioned countries. They believe that Columbus most probably was from Catalonia. Another fact that points towards his Portuguese nationality is a book published in 1988 by Jose Mascarenhas Barreto. The book claims that Columbus to be a Portuguese spy, who main task was to prevent the Spanish from finding sea trade routes from Africa to the Indies. There are many claims about Columbus, his nationality and his origins. However, today, we will not know whether any of these claims are real, or just stories and legends that have been circulating for centuries.
Nonetheless, historians agree that Christopher Columbus came from a well-to-do family, as he know Latin (he wrote his diary in Latin) and then came back to marry a rich and wealthy woman. Latin was a language that was taught just to the elite in those days.
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Columbus Day is celebrated across the United States on October 12 every year. The day is marked with parades, parties and a lot of fervor. However, it is quite possible that many young children may be unaware why this day is celebrated and the man after whom the day is named. 