Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa (modern-day Italy). His voyages across the Atlantic Ocean laid the groundwork for the European exploration and colonization of the Americas. In 1492, Columbus was funded by the Spanish monarchs to find a western trade route to Asia. Instead, his expedition made landfall in the Bahamas, believing they had reached the East Indies. Over four voyages between 1492-1504, Columbus explored the Caribbean islands, Central and South America while failing to find a western passage to Asia. He never realized the lands he explored were part of a separate continent. Columbus' journeys opened the Americas to European conquest and colonization. However, he governed the colonies he helped establish extremely poorly and brutally, leading to his arrest and removal from governorship. While hailed in Europe after his initial voyage, Columbus' legacy grew controversial due to slavery, exploitation of indigenous peoples, and the introduction of diseases that devastated native populations. Despite never accomplishing his original goal of finding a route to Asia, Columbus initiated permanent contact between the Americas and Europe, changing the course of world history profoundly.