On October 12, 1492, the ships landed not in Asia, as Columbus initially believed, but on one of the Bahamian islands.
Searching for “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise whatsoever,“ Columbus continued sailing to different Caribbean islands for months. After not finding the sought after treasure he returned to Spain in March 1493. Though Christopher Columbus was not the first to visit the “New World” and did not “discover” the Americas, his journey inspired further exploration of the American continents.