1492: Columbus’ Daring Voyage & the Dawn of a New World 🌎⚓

🌟 The Man Behind the Legend Born in Genoa (~1451–1506), Christopher Columbus devoured Marco Polo’s travels, dreaming of Asia’s riches. 📚✨ A self-taught astronomer and geographer, he embraced the radical idea of a round Earth, plotting a westward sea route to bypass Ottoman-controlled Silk Road. His plan? Sail west to reach the East. 🍀 Persistence Pays Off After rejections from Portugal (1484) and Spain (1485), Queen Isabella finally said YES in 1492: ⚔️ Titles: Admiral of the Ocean Sea + Governor of new lands 💰 Royal deal: Cut of all discovered wealth 🚢 3 ships: Santa María, Pinta, Niña 🌊 The Voyage That Changed History Aug 3, 1492: Departed Palos, Spain—into the “abyss” (many feared ships would fall off Earth’s edge!). 4 Epic Journeys (1492–1504): 1️⃣ Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola (“India”… or so he thought!) 2️⃣ Proved trade winds: Atlantic’s easterlies/westerlies = key to round-trip sailing 3️⃣ Mainland touchdown: Venezuela’s Paria Peninsula (1498) 4️⃣ Mapped 2,000km: Honduras to Panama’s isthmus 📚 Legacy & Controversy ✅ Globalization’s spark: Bridged Europe + Americas 🌍 Colonial avalanche: Gold, crops, capitalism… and devastation for Indigenous peoples ⚖️ Modern reckoning: Heroic explorer? Or enabler of genocide? Debates rage on. #Columbus #AgeOfDiscovery #SpanishHistory #WorldHistory #MaritimeAdventure 🗺️🌊