Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 and was an Italian explorer who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, hoping to find a route to India. Columbus sailed for King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain. On his first trip, Columbus led an expedition with three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, and about 90 crew members. They landed on an island they called Guanahani, but Columbus later renamed it San Salvador. They were met by the local Taino Indians, many were captured by Columbus' men and later sold into slavery. Columbus thought he had made it to Asia, and called this area the Indies, and called its inhabitants Indians. Columbus returned to Spain in the Nina, arriving on March 15, 1493.