Christopher Columbus is the explorer known for discovering America in 1492. While he did not actually discover the continent itself, as indigenous peoples had already been living there for thousands of years, his voyages opened the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas. Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean, but he believed he had reached the East Indies rather than the new continent. His expeditions had a profound impact on the course of history, leading to the exchange of cultures, goods, and ideas between the Old and New Worlds.