Christopher Columbus

Question

More often then not, when we teach students about the year of 1492 we are only focusing on Chirstopher Columbus. Most of the stuff we tell students is a lie, or is over exaggerated. What are 3 critical aspects of Chirstopher Columbus's history that students, in an elementary school, should know?

Answer 1

There were indigenous people here when Columbus arrived, so Columbus did not really discover America. In addition, the Vikings had explored the North American continent approximately 500 years prior to Columbus. Finally, Columbus thought that he was in the "Indies," but not India when he arrived in the New World in 1492. The "Indies"  refers to the East Indies in modern-day Indonesia.