What was Christopher Columbus'?

Answer 1

He was an Italian navigator and explorer who convinced the Spanish Monarchy of of Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon finance a 3 ship expedition to seek a westward route over the ocean to reach Asia (assuming it would be a straight shot over the ocean rather than interrupted by those pesky American continents) to compete with the overland routes through the Middle-East and long, dangerous ocean routes around the Horn of Africa and across the Indian ocean.