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The Discovery of America
Everybody knows that the word America can mean different
things. First of all America is the name of the country whose
official name is the
United States of America.
Then Ameri ca is the name
of the two continents —
North America and South
America.
Christopher Columbus discovered
America in 1492.
He was the first man from
Europe to get there.
Christopher was born in
1451 in Italy but he lived
in Spain for many years. Columbus was a seaman and made a
lot of sea voyages. In those days people in Europe were much
interested in India and other countries which were situated in
Asia because ships sailed east to Asia and brought gold and
other riches from those places. A lot of seamen sailed east
and came back rich people.
Like many people of his time Columbus knew that our planet
is round. He was sure he could also get to India if he sailed
west.
In 1492 the King and Queen of Spain gave Columbus money
and ships to make a voyage to India. So with three small
ships Columbus and his men sailed west. They sailed for three
weeks and then on October 12, they saw an island. It was
situated in Central America. But Columbus didn’t know that
then. He thought he was in Asia and gave the people he met
on the island the name of Indians. Altogether1
Columbus made
four voyages to America
before he died in 1506.
People began to speak
about the new land as “the
New World” saying that
Columbus’s disco very was
one of the most important
things in history. Many
people know these words:
“In fourteen hundred and
ninety two Columbus sailed
the ocean blue...”