On this day, 533 years ago, October 12, 1492 (September 21, 1492, the lunar calendar), Columbus "discovered the New World." Christopher Columbus (circa 1451 - 1506) was an Italian navigator. Born in Genoa, Italy, and died in Valladolid, Spain. He has been engaged in sailing all his life. He moved to Portugal and Spain. I believe in the theory of spherical earth and believe that I can sail westward from Europe to India and China in the east. With the support of the King of Spain, he discovered the American continent four voyages (1492 - 1493, 1493 - 1496, 1498 - 1500, 1502 - 1504), and he became a famous navigator in history. When people talk about America, they always say: "Columbus was the first person to discover America." Strangely enough, Columbus did not admit that it was America that was discovered, but believed that he had come to Asia. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. He loved reading "The Chronicles of Marco Polo" most since he was a child. From there, he learned that Eastern countries such as China and India were very rich and "full of gold and spices." So he dreamed of being able to travel far and go to that tempting Eastern world. After growing up, Columbus always wanted to go to the East. Originally, people came to the East through the European continent. Because the European continent was controlled by Turks and Arabs at that time, it was difficult to pass through. Columbus consulted the Italian geographer Toscane and learned that he could also reach the east by sailing westward along the Atlantic Ocean. On August 3, 1492, Columbus, with 87 sailors, left Port Barros in Spain and began his voyage in three sailboats, the Santa Maria, the Pinte, and the Ninya. It was a feat across the Atlantic. Before this, no one had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and no one knew what was ahead. Life at sea is very monotonous, with vast water and sky. Week after week, the sailors lost their composure and clamored to return. At that time, most people thought that the earth was a big, flat plate. If they sailed further, they would reach the edge of the earth and the sailboat would fall into the abyss. Columbus and the sailors spent more than two months in the vast sea. On October 11, 1492, Columbus saw a reed floating in the sea and jumped for joy!-- If there are reeds, it means that there is land nearby! Sure enough, at around 10 o'clock on the night of the 11th, Columbus discovered a faint fire in front of him. At dawn on the 12th, the sailors finally saw a black mass of land, and the whole ship cheered! They sailed at sea for two months and nine days before finally arriving at Waterlin Island in the American Bahamas. Columbus named the island "San Salvador", which means "savior." Although Columbus set foot on the New World-America, he thought it was Asia. Because at that time, people didn't know that there was an America between Europe and Asia-Columbus didn't even think about it. Columbus traveled around America. Unfortunately, it is not as Marco Polo boasted that "gold is everywhere and spices are everywhere." Columbus left 39 people who were willing to stay in the New World there, and took 10 captured Indians aboard. On March 15, 1493, Columbus returned to Puerto Barros, Spain. After returning, Columbus became a hero and was warmly received by the King and Queen of Spain. Columbus happily reported to people that he had arrived in the "Indies" and "Japan". On May 20, 1506, Columbus died silently in poverty and disease. At his death, Columbus still believed that he had sailed to Asia. Although Columbus did not admit that he discovered America, later generations still respected his achievements and praised him as the "man who discovered America." Commentary on the Navigation Route Map of Columbus and Zheng He: Later generations have argued that Zheng He first discovered the American continent.