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1451 | Columbus is born in Genoa, the son of a prosperous wool merchant and weaver. By the age of 14, he takes to the sea. |
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 master mariner, Columbus makes merchant voyages 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, near Madiera. |
1480 | Eldest son Diego is born. |
1484 | Columbus conceives of "The Enterprise of the Indies," but fails to convince King John II of Portugal to back the plan. 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. |
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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 | Mart�n Alonso Pinz�n, 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 | Pinz�n rejoins Columbus. |
1493/1/16 | Columbus departs Hispaniola for Spain in the Ni�a. |
1493/2/14 | Ni�a 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 | Ni�a and Pinta return separately to Palos, Spain. |
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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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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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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. |
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