Christopher Columbus

King John refused, so Columbus went to Spain with his son Diego. He hoped that Queen Isabella of Castile, and King Ferdinand of Aragon would surely help him. At first, the Spanish monarchs refused, although they provided Columbus with a small pension to live. Columbus in the meanwhile remained hopeful that he would one day convince the Spanish monarchs to back him. Columbus was twice refused, but in January of 1492, Isabella and Ferdinand gave in, and gave Columbus their full support. This agreement came shortly after the Moors were defeated in Granada, their last stronghold in Spain. Spanish Christians believed that they were close to stopping Muslim advances in Europe and the world. The desires to spread Christianity increase Spanish prominence in Europe over that of Portugal, and the desire to find gold and conquest, were the key motivating factors behind Columbus voyage. .
             So on august 3, 1492, Columbus fleet of three ships the Nia ±a, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria set sail from Palos, a city on the Tinto River in southern Spain. Columbus and his crew spent almost a month in the Canary Islands, and then headed west, following the parallel of Gomera. According to records of the voyage, weather remained fair throughout. Land was first sighted on October 12, from the Pinta, although Columbus said that he was the first to see land from the Nia ±a. This land was most likely modern day San Salvador, or Watling Island, in the Bahamas.
             This is where Columbus biggest misconception took root. He thought that he had reached the East Indies, which are islands off the coast of India. That is why Columbus referred to the natives of the island as Indians. This term was eventually applied to all inhabitants of the New World. Columbus then sailed among the Bahamas, and landed in Cuba. Columbus was convinced that he had reached the mainland of Cathay, modern day China. There was little gold here, and his exploration continued by sea to Ayti, modern day Haiti.