October 5, 2006—Was he a visionary explorer—or a harbinger of Native American genocide? For better or worse, history was forever changed in 1492 when Christopher Columbus, sailing west in hopes of reaching Asian riches, reached a small island in the Bahamas.

Columbus thought he had successfully landed in Asia, leading him to name the island chain the East Indies. It was just the first of many mistakes and controversies to arise from his famous journey. Even today people continue to debate whether the United States should celebrate the day he landed in the New World as a holiday.

Sail with Columbus across the Atlantic, and learn the real history behind the explorer's legendary voyages—and how he was five centuries too late to be the first to "discover" the Americas.