Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering the New World in 1492. Commissioned by Spain, Columbus aimed to find a westward route to Asia but instead landed in the Bahamas, believing he had reached the outskirts of Asia. His voyages initiated widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas. Although he was not the first to reach the Americas—indigenous peoples had lived there for millennia, and Vikings had previously landed—Columbus's expeditions led to significant cultural exchanges and often devastating consequences for indigenous populations, marking a pivotal moment in world history.