(1451–1506)
the Italian explorer who was the first European to discover America, in 1492. He had persuaded King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to pay for his attempt to find a new route to Asia by crossing the Atlantic Ocean. When he arrived at one of the Caribbean islands, he thought he had found the coast of Asia and continued to believe this for the rest of his life. He made three more journeys to America, but because they were not commercially successful he lost favour and died in poverty.