Christopher
Columbus (c. 1446 - 1506), Italian explorer who believed that the earth was round, and that
trade routes with
Asia could be established by
sailing westwards. In August 1492, with eighty-seven men and three ships (Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria) he
set sail for the
west and discovered the Western
Hemisphere.
—FPRD Glossary (approved 30-8-90)