Christopher Columbus

The appetite for scientific truth that distinguished the Renaissance was equaled by the hunger for exploring and claiming "undiscovered" land. Portugal, Spain, England, Holland, and France raced against each other to find new trading routes, new customers to trade with, and new goods, such as coffee, tobacco, and chocolate, to bring back home. Spain's Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) was one of the most successful explorers. Although America probably had been previously visited by the Vikings, the Carthaginians, the Russians, and the Romans, Columbus was the first to successfully exploit the commercial potential by establishing cities and trade routes. Unfortunately, he did not prove to be as good a politician or administrator as he was a sailor and, after several disastrous decisions as governor, Columbus was stripped of his position and sent back to Spain in chains. He did return to America...