when did christopher columbus discover america

Christopher Columbus discovered America on October 12, 1492. On this date, Columbus and his crew, sailing with the ships Niña, Pinta, and Santa María, made landfall on an island in the Bahamas, which they named San Salvador (originally known as Guanahani by the indigenous inhabitants). Columbus believed he had reached the East Indies, but he had actually encountered the American continent, marking the beginning of European exploration and colonization of the Americas.