Christopher Columbus.
Until Christopher Columbus died he thought that he had set foot on Asia by sailing west. He thought this because at that time nobody knew that North and South Amercia existed. Everyone thought that it was just open water and smooth sailing to Asia.
Queen Isabella, who sponsored Columbus' voyage, told him to befriend the natives and convert them to Christianity. He failed. Hope this helps :)
He hoped to reach the Indies (China and India). Although mariners and cartographers had already accepted that the Earth was round, Columbus was one of the few who believed that he could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic, a voyage most would not have dared at the time. Underestimating the actual distance to China and India in the eastern hemisphere (three times as far as from the Middle East), he thought he had reached the East, and called the natives he found "Indians." Only later did explorers realize that he instead discovered a whole New World, the continents of the Americas.
Columbus was trying to reach the "Indies" (China, Japan, India) by sailing westward across the Atlantic instead of east around Africa, which was a perilous journey at the time. Many map makers had underestimated the circumference of the Earth, or had placed China much farther to the east than it actually is. Even so, just crossing the Atlantic in sailing ships was a long and hazardous voyage. When Columbus encountered the red-skinned native tribes of the Bahamas and Hispaniola, he called them Indians, considering them related to people in India and Southeast Asia. Only later did Spanish explorers realize that the Americas were a New World, unlike any place in Europe or in Asia.
Yes and mostly no. He thought the world was round and he could get to India faster by sailing East instead of West. People had known they could get to India by sailing West, nobody had tried to get to India by sailing East. Columbus did show that you could get somewhere by sailing East. He did not reach India of course, he only got as far as the Caribbean Sea. He did not really find a shorter route to India, so Columbus did not find what he was really looking for.
Wrong, as it is actually a longer trip to India by traveling West instead of East. He was searching for a shorter trip.
Columbus thought he could reach India by sailing west.
He went west instead of sailing east.
Columbus believed he could get to the East by sailing west.
Columbus believed he could get to the East by sailing west.
To Travel West Instead Of East
To Travel West Instead Of East
He thought if he sailed East from England he'd reach India, but didn't expect to hit the Americas.
Christopher Columbus was convinced that he could reach Asia by sailing west.
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus.