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| 1. | Christopher (Sp. Cristóbal Colón; It. Cristoforo Colombo), 1446?–1506, Italian navigator in Spanish service: traditionally considered the discoverer of America 1492. |
| 2. | a city in and the capital of Ohio, in the central part. 564,871. |
| 3. | a city in W Georgia. 169,441. |
| 4. | a city in central Indiana. 30,292. |
| 5. | a city in E Mississippi. 27,383. |
| 6. | a city in E Nebraska. 17,328. |
| Columbus, Christopher 1451-1506. Italian explorer in the service of Spain who determined that the earth was round and attempted to reach Asia by sailing west from Europe, thereby reaching America (1492). He made three subsequent voyages to the Caribbean in his quest for a sea route to China. |
An Italian explorer responsible for the European discovery of America in 1492. He had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain, under the patronage of the king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, hoping to find a westward route to India. His ships were the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Columbus made four voyages to the New World, visiting the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad, Venezuela, and the coast of Central America.
"America was discovered accidentally by a great seaman who was looking for something else, and most of the exploration for the next fifty years was done in the hope of getting through or around it." [S.E. Morison, "The Oxford History of the United States," 1965]