Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering America in 1492 during his first voyage. Funded by the Spanish Crown, Columbus made landfall in the Bahamas, believing he had reached the outskirts of Asia. While he did not discover the continent in the literal sense—indigenous peoples had been living there for thousands of years—his expedition marked the beginning of extensive European exploration and colonization in the Americas. Columbus's voyages are often viewed as a pivotal turning point in history, leading to significant cultural exchanges and the eventual establishment of new societies.