ColumbusNavigation.com produce a calender of Columbus'life, and the main points of his 4 voyages.
1451 Columbus is born in
Genoa (?), the son of a wool merchant and weaver.
1476 Columbus swims ashore after his ship is sunk in a battle with pirates off
Portugal. He joins his brother Bartholomew, a cartographer, in Lisbon.
1477-1484 As a Sailor, Columbus makes merchant voyages from Portugal as far
as Iceland and Guinea.
1479 Columbus marries Felipa Perestrella e Moniz, daughter of a Portuguese nobleman.
They settle on the island of Porto Santo, near Madiera.
1480 Eldest son Diego is born.
1484 Columbus presents his plan to journey west to the Indies to King John II
of Portugal but his plan is rejected. His wife Felipa dies.
1485 Columbus moves to Spain, settling at Palos in Andalusia.
1488 Second son Fernando is born out of wedlock, to Beatriz Enriquez de Harana.
1492/1/2 Ferdinand & Isabela capture Granada, the last Moorish city in Spain.
Columbus finally gets financial backing from the Spanish monarchs
The First Voyage:
1492/8/3 Departs from Palos, Spain (near Huelva)
1492/9/6 Departs Gomera (Canary Islands) after repair and refit.
1492/10/12 New world sighted at 2:00 a.m. by Rodrigo de Triana, somewhere in
the Bahamas.
1492/10/29 Arrives at Cuba.
1492/11/22 Martín Alonso Pinzón, captain of the Pinta, deserts
the expedition off Cuba.
1492/12/5 Columbus arrives at Hispaniola.
1492/12/25 Flagship Santa Maria sinks off Hispaniola. Columbus founds La Navidad.
1493/1/6 Pinzón rejoins Columbus.
1493/1/16 Columbus departs Hispaniola for Spain in the Niña.
1493/2/14 Niña and Pinta are separated again in a fierce storm.
1493/2/15 Sights Santa Maria Island in the Azores.
1493/3/4 Arrives at Lisbon, Portugal.
1493/3/15 Niña and Pinta return separately to Palos, Spain.
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The Second Voyage:
1493 September The Grand Fleet of 17 ships departs Cádiz.
1493/10/13 Departs Hierro (Canary Islands), sailing WSW
1493/11/3 The island of Dominica sighted at dawn; Guadeloupe shortly after.
1493/11/22 Arrives at Hispaniola.
1493/11/28 Returns to Navidad, finds fort destroyed.
1493/12/8 Founds new colony of La Isabela.
1494/4/24 Sails from Isabela in search of mainland.
1494/4/30 Arrives at Cuba.
1494/5/5 Arrives at Jamaica.
1494/5/14 Returns to Cuba.
1494/6/13 Starts the return to Hispaniola.
1494/8/20 Returns to La Isabela on Hispaniola and takes up his role of governor.
1494-1495 Open warfare breaks out between the colonial Spaniards and the Taino.
1496/3/10 Departs from La Isabela for Spain.
1496/6/8 Reaches the coast of Portugal.
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The Third Voyage:
1498/5/30 Departs from Sanlucar, Spain, with six ships.
1498/6/19 Arrives at Gomera (Canary Islands); splits fleet into two squadrons.
While one squadron makes for Hispaniola, Columbus heads for the Cape Verde Islands
and a more southerly route across the Atlantic.
1498/7/4 Departs from the Cape Verde Islands.
1498/7/31 Arrives at Trinidad.
1498/8/13 Leaves the Gulf of Paria, arrives at Margartia.
1498/8/19 Arrives at the new city of Santo Domingo on Hispaniola. Columbus resumes
his role as governor of the colony.
1500 October Columbus is arrested and sent home in chains.
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The Fourth Voyage:
1502/5/11 Departs from Cádiz, Spain, with four ships.
1502/6/29 Arrives at Santo Domingo, Hispaniola.
1502/7/30 Arrives at the Mosquito Coast, modern Nicaragua.
1503/1/9 Establishes garrison at Rio Belen.
1503/4/6 Garrison attacked by Indians and abandoned.
1503/4/16 Leaves Rio Belen for home.
1503/6/25 Sinking ships beached and abandoned at Jamaica, marooning crew.
1504/6/29 Crew rescued from Jamaica after more than a year on the island.
1504/11/7 Columbus returns to Spain.
1506/5/20 Columbus dies at Valladolid.