Columbus Day

Columbus, his journeys and legacy, and other great explorers and explorations

Biographies of Famous Explorers Roald Amundsen Vasco Núnez de Balboa Ibn Batuta Richard Burton John Cabot Jacques Cartier Lewis & Clark Christopher Columbus James Cook Francisco Coronado Hernando Cortés Vasco da Gama Leif Ericsson Sir Edmund Hillary Henry Hudson Ponce de León David Livingstone Ferdinand Magellan Mungo Park Robert E. Peary Francisco Pizarro Marco Polo Sir Ernest Shackleton John Speke Sir Henry M. Stanley [More...]

Christopher Columbus

Columbus Day Timeline
The first commemoration of Columbus took place in 1792

A Video: Just Where Was Columbus?
Pinpointing the famous explorer's whereabouts

Biography of Christopher Columbus
Early years, voyages, and historical perspective

Columbus's Unknown Legacy
How food from the Americas revolutionized Europe

Fun Stuff

Quiz: Explorers
Who was the first mountain climber to summit all fourteen of the world's 8,000-meter peaks without the use of supplemental oxygen?

Other Great Explorers

Explorers and Explorations
From the Cape of Good Hope to the South Pole, a chart of notable explorers and their explorations.

Myths About Explorers
Did Columbus really discover America? Who was the first explorer to sail around the world?

More Guides

World Atlas
Regional, country, and state maps

Everest Almanac
A guide to the world's highest peak: those who have climbed it, measured it, written about it, and died because of it.

Ship Fever
The world's most famous—and fated—sailing vessels

Ten Famous Trains
The Orient Express, 20th Century Limited, and more

World Disasters
Disasters, earthquakes, volcanoes, and other natural obstacles