Who they were
Born in Genoa, Columbus was an experienced Atlantic sailor who sought a western sea route to Asia. After years of lobbying, he won the backing of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.
What they did
In 1492 he crossed the Atlantic and made landfall in the Caribbean, then led three further voyages exploring the islands and mainland coasts. He governed the early Spanish settlements, often harshly, and never accepted that he had found a new continent.
Legacy
His voyages began the European colonization of the Americas and the Columbian Exchange. His legacy is deeply contested today — marked as a turning point in world history, but condemned for the conquest, enslavement, and epidemics that followed.