Columbus Day

BORN
Between August 25th and October 31st, 1435 to 1460. 1451 is the most frequently given date.

BIRTHPLACE
Columbus said Genoa, Italy. Other candidates -- Chios, which is now Greek but was a Genoese colony where Columbus is a common surname. Also, Majorca (Spanish Balearic Islands), Galicia, and other places in Spain.

MARITAL STATUS
Married Doña Felipa Perestrello e Moniz, 1479

CHILDREN
Diego, born to Doña Felipa, 1480, Madeira Islands. Fernando, born to Beatriz, 1488.

WIDOWER
Doña Felipa died between 1481 and 1485.

SIGNIFICANT OTHER
Beatriz Enríquez de Arana, after 1485.

DIED
May 20, 1506, Valladolid, Spain, age-related.

BURIED
Leading candidates: Sevilla, Spain; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; or Havana, Cuba.

IMPORTANT RELATIVES
Bartolemé Colón (older or younger, brother or uncle).

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Blonde hair (white after age 30), blue eyes, exceptionally keen sense of smell, excellent eyesight, perfect hearing. Perfect physical condition in 1492. Moderate in drink, food, and dress; never swore.

RELIGION
Catholic. Jewish background on one side of his family. Left son Diego at Franciscan friary, la Rabida, in 1481, retrieved him in 1491.

EXPERIENCE
Went to sea at age 14. May have been involved in naval engagement between Franco-Portuguese and Genoese Fleets in 1476. Made at least one voyage to England, possibly one to Iceland. Made four voyages to the New World: 1) September 8, 1492 to March 3, 1493; 2) October 7-10, 1493 to June 11, 1496; 3) May 30, 1498 to August 31, 1498 (Santo Domingo, see below for return to Spain); and 4) May 9, 1502 to November 7, 1504 [marooned in Jamaica -- June 25, 1503 to March 7, 1504].

CRIMINAL RECORD
Arrested in Santo Domingo August 23, 1500. Sent to Spain in chains in October 1500. Released December 12, 1500 and summoned to court.