In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue...

Source: CristobalColon, Sebastiano del Piombo, Wikimedia

We all heard this little rhyme when we were in elementary school. Our teachers told us about the enterprising Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, who bravely set sail into the dangerous and stormy Atlantic Ocean on his flagship, the Santa Maria.

You might have seen the above portrait of Columbus. You may have even heard the story about how many feared that Columbus would sail off the edge of the earth! But that was in elementary school. Now that you're much older, it's time to learn the truth: almost none of the above story is true!

Columbus's journey was not dangerous and enjoyed mostly smooth sailing, the above portrait was painted many years after Columbus's death (nobody knows what he truly looked like), and people no longer believed that the earth was flat in 1492.

In fact, most educated people were aware the earth was round since ancient times!

Feel cheated? Well, you shouldn't! In fact, the reality of Columbus's journey is much more fascinating and exciting than the myths we learned as children.

His journey ushered in a process historians call the Columbian Exchange - a process that would produce untold wealth and millions of deaths and change the course of history forever.

Let's learn some more!