The Great Pox

Abstract

The 3rd of August 1492 marked the start of one of the most significant periods of global exploration, travel and migration. Setting sail from Palos on the Portuguese coast, Christopher Columbus, sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, headed westward bound for the Canary Islands. From the Canaries, Columbus continued his voyage. Thirty-five days after setting sail, he reached the Bahamas. His first landing point, on a small island, known as San Salvador, was used by Columbus as a base to explore and map the islands of this New World, before he and his crew returned to Spain in the spring of 1493.