Columbus was a well-read man, and in Aristotle, Ptolemy,
and other ancient authorities he found apparent confirmation of his grand idea.
Columbus also owned a printed copy of Marco Polo's book, and from his comments,
written on the margin, we know how interested he was in Polo's statements
referring to Cathay and Cipango. Furthermore, Columbus brought together all the
information he could get about the fabled islands of the Atlantic. If he ever
went to Iceland, some vague traditions may have reached him there of Norse
voyages to Greenland and Vinland. Such hints and rumors strengthened his
purpose to sail toward the setting sun in quest of the Indies.
FIRST VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS, 1492 A.D.
All know the story. How Columbus first laid his plans
before the king of Portugal, only to meet with rebuffs; how he then went to
Spain and after many discouragements found a patron in Queen Isabella; how with
three small ships he set out from Palos, August 3, 1492 A.D.; how after leaving
the Canaries he sailed week after week over an unknown sea; and how at last, on
the early morning of October 12, he sighted in the moonlight the glittering
coral strand of one of the Bahama Islands. [21] It was the New World.
[21] Named San Salvador by Columbus and usually identified
with Watling Island.
