Washington Irving’s biography A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (1828) was a romantic confection that—among other things—promoted the silly idea that Europeans before ...

But as the subtitle – “Christopher Columbus, His Son, and the Quest to Build the World’s Greatest Library” – doesn’t quite say, this is, in fact, a biography of that son, Hernando Colón.

Columbus is widely credited with opening the door to European colonization, yet much of his biography is murky. Though tradition claims he hailed from Genoa, some experts have suggested Portuguese ...

In 1486, Columbus went to the Spanish monarchy of Queen Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. Their focus was on a war with the Muslims, and their nautical experts were skeptical, so they, ...

Christopher Columbus was a narcissist. He believed he was personally chosen by God for a mission that no one else could achieve. After 1493, he signed his name "xpo ferens" – "the Christbearer ...

As Columbus Day gives way to “fall break” and drops off many workers’ calendars altogether, it has become easy to overlook a perennial teaching moment. When Christopher Columbus does come up ...

When Christopher Columbus does come up in the media or the classroom, he is usually simply bashed or praised, depending on the viewpoint of the speaker. In either case, he remains more myth than man.

Currier and Ives print of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), landing in the West Indies on October 11, 1492. Time Life Pictures/Mansell/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images.