Famous people X. Columb

Columbus reached the Americas in October 1492.
It was October 11 when Columbus reached the Americas, but the specific site remains a mystery up to this day. Columbus’ records say that the natives called the island they first arrived at Guanahani, which Columbus renamed San Salvador. Scholars traditionally identified it as Watling’s Island in the Bahamas, but over the 20th century, disputes have arisen whether Watling’s Island really was Guanahani. Despite the disputes, however, Watling’s Island officially renamed itself as San Salvador Island in 1925.
Columbus named many of the Lesser Antilles during his second expedition.
Photo by Aah-Yeah from Wikipedia
These include Montserrat Island, which he named after Mount Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain. He also named Antigua Island after a church of the same name in Seville, Spain. Same with Nevis Island, from the Spanish Nuestra Señora de las Nieves. The name came from Our Lady of the Snows, as saw the clouds around Nevis Peak made it look covered with snow. He also named Saba Island after the Bible’s Queen of Sheba, and Saint Martin Island from the saint of the same name. Columbus also discovered and named the Virgin Islands during this expedition.
He also fought the first battle between the Europeans and Americans in 1493.
Well, the first battle since the Vikings explored North America in the 10th and 11th centuries. It took place on November 11, at Saint Croix Island, where Columbus’ men pursued a canoe belonging to the Island Caribs. The Caribs are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.
One Spaniard died in the battle, while all the Island Caribs eventually all died or became prisoners. One of Columbus’ men, Michele da Cuneo, recorded that Columbus allowed his men to enslave women in the island.
Columbus’ reign as governor proved harsh and brutal.
Here’s another disturbing example of Christopher Columbus Facts. For one thing, he enslaved the natives, forcing them to mine for gold even though no Caribbean island had gold deposits of any kind. He also shipped other natives to Europe, again as slaves, with as many as 40% dying along the way.
Slave miners who failed to meet their quota found themselves punished with a hand getting chopped off. This led to mass suicides among the natives, who poisoned themselves in despair after seeing no other way out of the miserable conditions they found themselves in.
When the natives finally revolted, Columbus responded harshly, hanging or burning any native that didn’t die in battle. Those that didn’t get killed instead found themselves shipped to Europe to become slaves.