1451-1506

Italian Explorer

If there is any explorer who, in the eyes of most Americans, seems to need no introduction, it is Christopher Columbus. Yet few figures in history have been the subject of so much myth. Old-fashioned political correctness maintained that Columbus was a sort of savior for discovering the New World, whereas modern political correctness—manifested particularly in 1992, during the 500th anniversary of his discovery—condemns him as a murderer of Native Americans and destroyer of the environment. In fact, both views miss the point that Columbus ultimately had no idea what he was doing: though he was right in surmising that it was possible to reach Asia by sea, he went to his grave believing (incorrectly) that he had done so.

He was born Cristoforo Colombo (Columbus" is an Anglicized version) in Genoa at some time between August and September 1451. His parents, Domenico...