Christopher Columbus Biography

1. What was Columbus hoping to find by sailing West across

the Atlantic Ocean from Spain?
China
2. In 1451, Columbus was born in which Italian city?
Genoa
3. What was the real name of Christopher Columbus?
Cristoforo Colombo
4. At what age did Columbus begin sailing on merchant ships?
14
5. What was the nickname for the Atlantic Ocean?
Sea of Darkness
6. Why did Columbus leave Portugal for Spain in 1485?
King John of Portugal refused to grant him
permission to sail.
7. Which Spanish queen was in favor of supporting
Columbus’ voyage? Queen Isabella

(left) Queen
Isabella and
(right) King
Ferdinand
8. How many ships and men were promised to Columbus for
his voyage? 3 ships and 90 men
9. What were the names of the ships on Columbus’ first
voyage?
Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria
10. On Columbus’ first voyage, why didn’t the scared and
desperate sailors mutiny, kill Columbus, and return to Spain?
Only Columbus knew how to get back to Spain.
11. What is the name of the modern country where Columbus
first landed?
the Bahamas
12. Where did the term “Indian giver” come from?
Native Americans wanted items loaned to the Spanish
returned. The Spanish mistakenly thought they were
gifts.
13. How was every Indian over the age of 14 treated?
They were made into slaves and forced to mine for gold.
14. Which diseases did the Spanish bring to the West Indies,
killing Indians by the thousands?

The Spanish infected Native Americans with smallpox

and measles.

15. Which disease, in turn, did the Indians transmit to the

Spanish settlers?
syphillis

16. Columbus was so desperate on his third voyage in 1498

that he was forced to use whom as sailors?

prisoners
17. Columbus believed that he had found the Garden of Eden
while exploring the Orinoco River. Which modern country
was Columbus exploring?
Venezuela
18. Why was Columbus arrested in 1500 and sent back to
Spain in chains?
He was caught killing troublesome Spanish sailors by
hanging.
19. In what year did Columbus begin his 4th and final voyage?
1502
20. How did Columbus trick the Indians of Jamaica into
feeding his crew?
Knowing an eclipse would soon occur, he threatened to
take away the moon. After the eclipse occurred, the
Native Americans were fearful of Columbus and fed his
crew.
21. In what year did Columbus die, and how old was he?
He died in 1506 at the age of 55.

Tomb of
Christopher
Columbus,
Cathedral of
Seville.