5. Columbus’ voyages
In spite of what we’ve been taught, Christopher Columbus never reached what is now the US mainland territory. His October 12, 1492 landing was on an island in the Bahamas (most probably Watling Island). His other voyages took him to the South and Central American coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and various Caribbean islands, but the one place where he never set foot was North America.
On a related note, the names of his famous ships weren’t really Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria. The ship nicknamed Niña was called the Santa Clara, the Santa Maria was originally named La Gallega, and as for the third ship, its real name is not known but in all probability the Pinta was a nickname as well.
