Christopher Columbus

Christoffer Columbus (Italian: Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish: Cristóbal Colón, Portuguese: Cristovão Colombo) (born 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a navigator and explorer from Genoa. He is known for leading the expedition that arrived as the first European expedition to America - hence he is often called the "discoverer of America", although of course people already lived there, and although the Vikings had previously found America, without it had given real resonance in Europe.