Not everything you learned about Christopher Columbus is true

What do we really know about Christopher Columbus?

Columbus was the first explorer to discover America.

False: Scholars believe it was Viking Leif Erickson who first came from overseas to America. In fact, they believe Columbus wasn't even the first European to discover what we know as the Americas.

Columbus came in three ships known as the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

True: His crew did in fact come over on those ships. Several replicas have been made over the years, including a fleet that was gifted to Texas from Spain. The last of the replica ships sank in April.

Left: A photograph, dated 1900, of a replica of explorer Christopher Columbus' flagship Santa Maria. Right: An illustration, dated 1754, of Christopher Columbus' fleet, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, departing from Spain in 1492.

Columbus used the natives to help him with his exploration of the continent. He loved them so much he took back artifacts to show the king and queen.

True and False: He did utilize the help of one chief on the island of Haiti and took back gold, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. But he actually took some of the natives back to the "Old World" as slaves. Columbus and his crew gave the gift of violence and disease to the islands they discovered.

Columbus landed in Florida when he came to America.

False: He first landed on the island of Guanahani in the Bahamas. He actually never set foot in North America, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, but in present day Venezuela on his fourth journey.

Columbus only made one trip and came home rich

False: Columbus actually made four trips to the Caribbean, and despite bringing back gold, he died in poverty.

Columbus genuinely thought he had reached China even until his death

True: Though he was doubted by many, and the evidence was stacked against him, Columbus really believed he had accomplished the goal of reaching China and Japan.