Since 1934 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt made Columbus Day a National Holiday. Each year on the 2nd Monday in October, the United States has celebrated the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ landing in the Bahamas.
Columbus Day has become somewhat of a controversial holiday and some states and cities no longer celebrate this holiday.
Today I want to share with you some interesting facts about Christopher Columbus and a free printable coloring page that contains some of these facts to talk about with your kids.
Facts About Christopher Columbus
These facts while still simple have more detail and are perfect for elementary-age children and older.
For 5 simple facts about Columbus perfect for toddlers and young children continue down to the heading 5 Facts about Christopher Columbus.
Where was Columbus Born?
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, which is part of present-day Italy.
Many people say he was from Italy but Italy wasn’t in existence yet, modern-day Italy became a nation-state in 1861. If you asked him where he was from he would have said Genoa, not Italy.
Christopher Columbus First Voyage
Columbus presented his plan, of trying to reach Asia by sailing across the Atlantic, to officials in Portugal and England.
Neither country was willing to finance his voyage. He finally found a sympathetic audience in the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.
Setting Sail
On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain in three ships.
His Ships
The three ships that set sail in August 1492 were the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
Reaching Land
On October 12, 1492, the ships reached land. It wasn’t Asia but one of the many Bahamian islands.
For months after first reaching land, Columbus sailed among the islands of what we now call the Caribbean.
Returning Home
In March 1493 Columbus set sail to return to Spain. He left 40 men in a makeshift settlement on Hispaniola, modern-day Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
Christopher Columbus Voyages
Christopher Columbus made 4 trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain. The First Trip was in 1492 followed by trips in 1493, 1498, and 1502.
Did Columbus Discover America?
For years it was taught that in “fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Today we know that Columbus was not the first European to sail to the Americas.
One man to reach the Americas five centuries before Columbus was the Norse explorer Leif Erikson.
What did Columbus Discover?
If Columbus didn’t discover America what did he discover?
Columbus never thought he found a new continent and he never reached North America. He landed on various Caribbean islands, and also explored the West Indies, South America, and Central America. On his last trip across the Atlantic, he reached Panama.
Columbus though not the discoverer of new lands was the first European to Explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in the 10th century.
Though Columbus didn’t discover any new lands his journey started centuries of exploration on the American continents.
Christopher Columbus Death
Columbus died on May 20, 1506, in Valladolid, Spain.
5 Facts About Christopher Columbus
These 5 facts are simple. The perfect way to introduce Columbus to young children.
- He was born in 1451
- Columbus made 4 trips across the Atlantic Ocean.
- He studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography, and navigation in Lisbon.
- Oct 12, 1492, Columbus reached the Bahamian islands.
- On his 4th voyage in 1502, he reached Panama.
Videos for Kids
There are a lot of videos out there about Columbus here are a couple of videos that are a great place to start. These are videos I watched with my kids as we learned about this great explorer.
- Biography of Christopher Columbus for Children: Famous Explorers for Kids – FreeSchool
- Columbus Day – Learning about Christopher Columbus – Kids Learning Videos
Read Aloud
If you’re looking for a book to read as part of your study I highly recommend Who Was Christopher Columbus.
We started reading the “Who Was” books last year as read aloud books and we have all really enjoyed learning more about things through them.
Free Printable Christopher Columbus Coloring Page
Please keep this coloring page for personal and class use. If you know someone that would enjoy this printable please share a link to this blog post with them.
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This post was originally published in 2018 and has been updated with additional links and information.
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