Which Italian explorer is credited with reaching the Americas in 1492?

Christopher Columbus is the Italian explorer credited with reaching the Americas in 1492. Sailing under the sponsorship of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II of Spain, Columbus departed from Palos in August 1492 with the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María. He reached islands in the Caribbean on October 12, believing he had found a western route to Asia.

Columbus did not discover an uninhabited continent: Indigenous peoples had lived in the Americas for thousands of years, and Norse explorers had reached North America centuries earlier. The significance of Columbus's voyage was its role in establishing lasting connections between Europe and the Americas, beginning a period of exploration, colonization, trade, and devastating disease and violence.

A common mix-up is confusing Columbus with Amerigo Vespucci, whose name was later used for the continents. Ferdinand Magellan led the expedition that first circumnavigated the globe, although he died before it was completed, while Vasco da Gama reached India by sailing around Africa.