Who? What? When? Where? Why? He was an

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

He was an Italian explorer who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. In the fifteenth century people wanted to find an easier route to Asia [́eɪʃǝ], to find the rich treasures of India [́ɪndɪǝ]. They travelled past Africa to the east. Christopher Columbus [́krɪstoөǝ kǝ́lʌmbǝs] talked to Queen Isabella of Spain and said that it would be easier to sail directly to west. Who was Christopher Columbus?

When did they start? How many ships were there? Three long months ago his men became tired and sick. On October eleventh Columbus saw a light. The next morning they landed. On August third, 1942, he and about two hundred men went west on a flagship Santa Maria [́sӕntǝ mǝ́rɪǝ] and two others, the Pinta [́pintǝ] and the Nina [́nɪ:nǝ].

Who did they meet? Christopher Columbus and his team had expected to see livers of India and called them “Indians”. Columbus named that place San Salvador [sӕn sǝlvӕ́dɔ:].

When did Christopher Columbus die? He died on May 20, 1506. He was about 55 years old. Columbus died a rich and famous man, but he never learnt what he had discovered.

After his death… The continent wasn’t named after Columbus, but an Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci [ӕmǝ́rɪgoʊ veśpʊʧɪ]. But in 1792 Washington [́wɔʃɪηtǝn] was officially named the District of Columbia and became the capital of the United States. In 1892 the statue of Columbus was built in Columbus Avenue [́ӕvɪnjʊ] in New York.

Celebration Americans wouldn’t have a Columbus Day if Christopher Columbus wasn’t born in Italy. The Italian population of New York was proud of him and organized the first celebration of the discovery of America on October twelfth, 1866.

The official Day In 1937 President Franklin Roosevelt [́frӕnklin ́rʊzvelt] introduced Columbus Day. Since 1971, it has been celebrated on the second Monday in October.

Answer the questions Who was Christopher Columbus ? When did he start his voyage? How many ships were there? How did he call the native inhabitants? Why? How old was he when he died? What was called in his honour? When did Americans start to celebrate this day?