COLUMBUS, Christopher (Sp. Cristobal Colcin; It. Cristoforo Colombo, his real name), Italian navigator, the discoverer of America: b. Genoa probably 1451; d. Valladolid, Spain, 20 May 1506. His father, Domenico Colombo, a poor weaver, gave him a a careful education in that trade —better characterized as an in dustrial art or handicraft, highly regarded in Italy during the 15th century, and indeed with good reason esteemed long before and long after the very noble Quattrocento. (See Professor Venturi's account of the Quattrocento or 14th century, in the article ITALY - HIS TORICAL SYNOPSIS OF ITALIAN ART). The de tails of his early life are confused and unsatis factory. The date of his birth has never been definitely established; different historians range between 1430 and 1456, those most often given being 1436 and 1446. Judging from the ages of his younger brother (b. 1468) and his still younger sister, the year 1451 given above seems the most likely estimate. He is shown by documents cited by Henry Vignaud to have sailed to Chios when about 23 or 24 years of age. Again, in 1476, he sailed for England, and about one year later engaged in commerce at Lisbon. There he married Felipa Mofiiz Peres trello, a daughter of a distinguished navi gator who had founded a colony in Porto Santo, an island recently discovered and be longing to the Madeira group, and had left many charts and nautical instruments. Colum bus made use of these materials, and his opinion that the other side of the globe con tained land, belonging to eastern Asia and connected with India, which was, as yet, little known, became more and more fixed. While the Portuguese were seeking to reach India by a southeast course round Africa, he was con vinced that there must be a shorter way by the west. He applied in vain to Genoa for assist ance, and equally fruitless were his endeavors to interest John II of Portugal in the enterprise. He also sent letters on the subject to Henry VII of England, with the same ill success. He then determined to apply to the Spanish court, Ferdinand and Isabella being at this time the sovereigns of Spain, and after an eight years' struggle with the obstacles thrown in his way by Ignorance and malice, he received three small vessels. These were named the Pinta, the Nifia and the Santa Maria; and the docu ments show the complement of men to have been, for the crews 90, officers and all others 30, total 120. The Capitulations of Granada provided that, after successful accomplishment and conclusion of the adventure—not before — its leader should be advanced to the dignities and offices of peer, admiral and viceroy of such regions as he should or alight discover and talce possession of — °certain islands in the sea of whose existence Columbus knew?) No refer ence to the Indies appears in records of the negotiations for this great voyage.
It was early in the morning of Friday, on 3 Aug. 1492, that Columbus set sail from the port of Palos. Eighteen years had elapsed since he had first conceived the idea of this enterprise. The most of that time had been passed in almost hopeless solicitation, amidst poverty, neglect and ridicule; the prime of his life wasted in the struggle. Nor should it be forgotten that it was to Isabella alone that he was finally indebted for the means of execut ing his project, which had been coldly rejected by the prudent Ferdinand. Having provided lumself at the Canary Islands with fresh water, he sailed at first due west but later southwest into an ocean never before navigated. But when 21 days had elapsed without the sight of any land, the courage of his men began to sink. It was certain, they said, that they should per ish, and their visionary commander ought to be forced to return. Some of them even pro posed to throw him overboard; and Columbus had to exert all the powers of his daring and commanding spirit to quell the mutiny. It seems clear that his triumph in this crisis was due in part to Pinzon's able and loyal assistance. A phenomenon, which surprised even him, filled his pilots with consternation: the needle de viated a whole degree. But the sea appeared suddenly covered with grass, and again showed symptoms of shoals and rocks. Numbers of birds were also seen. Columbus sailed in the direction from which they flew. For some days the voyage was continued with revived courage, until at last the dissatisfaction of the crews be gan again to break out into open violence; but Columbus, after endeavoring in vain to pacify his men by promises, finally assumed a different tone, and told them it was useless to murmur; that he was determined to persevere. Fully con vinced that he must be near the land, he promised a reward to the man who should first catch sight of it. On the night of 11 and 12 October Columbus himself descried a light which sometimes flickered in the distance and sometimes disappeared, and at two o'clock on the morning of the 12th a cannon shot from the Pinta announced that a sailor belonging to that vessel had sighted land. That sailor was Rodrigo de Triana.