The Discovery of the Americas by Columbus (1492)

Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage to the Americas initiated the Columbian Exchange, permanently connecting Eastern and Western hemispheres. While seeking a western route to Asia, his accidental landing in the Bahamas triggered centuries of transatlantic exploration, colonization, and cultural exchange. This encounter introduced new crops, animals, and technologies between continents while devastating indigenous populations through disease and conquest. The discovery reshaped global trade networks, shifted economic power to Atlantic nations, and began Europe's dominance in the Americas. Though neither the first nor most accurate explorer, Columbus's journey marked history's most consequential collision of civilizations, with impacts still felt in demographics, agriculture, and cultures worldwide.