Christopher Columbus's Story || English Listening Practice ✅ || Story Level 2 🔥 || Graded Reader

welcome everyone to another Amazing Story on this channel I hope you are all doing great if you are here that means you love learning through stories and today I have something truly special for you every day I bring you fascinating exciting and easy to understand English stories to improve your English and expand your knowledge if you haven't subscribed yet hit that subscribe button and turn on the notification Bell so you never miss these daily learning experiences today's story is about a man who changed history forever Christopher Columbus some people call him a hero the brave

explorer who connected the world others call him a villain responsible for colonization and destruction but who was he really by the end of this story you will have all the answers and I want you to tell me in the comments was he a hero or not your opinion matters this is not just a history lesson this is an adventure a journey back in time this story is perfect for your English learning because I will explain everything in a very simple fun and interesting way even if you are a beginner you will understand everything so are

you ready let's begin Christopher ER Columbus was born in the year 1451 in the city of Genoa which is in modernday Italy but back then Italy was not a United Country like today it was a collection of city states and Genoa was one of the most important ports in Europe Columbus was born into a family of wool Weavers his father Domenico Colombo was a wool Merchant and his mother Susanna font Sosa was a weaver they were not rich but they worked hard to provide for their children even as a child Columbus was different from other

kids while most children in Genoa wanted to work in their family businesses Columbus dreamed of the sea he loved watching The Ships Come and Go carrying spices silk and gold from distant lands he would run to the port every day listening to sailor stories about the great unknown World beyond the ocean but there was one problem Columbus did not belong to a rich family back then only the wealthy could afford to become Sailors or Explorers so how did a wool Merchant's son become one of the most famous explorers in history the answer is simple curiosity

determination and never giving up even though his family was not rich Columbus had a sharp mind he studied cartography mapmaking mathematics and astronomy he taught himself Latin because all important books on geography and navigation were written in Latin at the age of 14 he got his first chance to sail on a ship it was dangerous because the sea was full of pirates and enemy ships but Columbus loved every every moment of it the ocean was his true home for the next 10 years he traveled across the Mediterranean Sea learning everything about sailing he became an

expert in navigation and started developing a crazy idea what if there was a faster way to reach Asia in the 1400s trade with Asia was extremely profitable spices silk and gold from India and China were were in high demand but there was a problem getting to Asia was difficult the land route Silk Road was controlled by the Ottoman Empire making it dangerous and expensive the sea rout was very long going around Africa Columbus had a bold idea what if I sail west across the Atlantic Ocean to reach Asia the Earth is round so I will

eventually reach the other side side it sounded logical but there was a problem nobody believed him most people at that time thought the Atlantic Ocean was too vast and full of dangers some even believed that beyond the ocean there were monsters or that a ship would fall off the edge of the world but Columbus was determined he needed money and ships to test his idea for years he went to different Kings and queens begging for support he first asked the king of Portugal but he refused then he went to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of

Spain but they also said No at first but Columbus never gave up he spent six years trying to convince Spain he explained that if his plan worked Spain would become the richest and most powerful country in the world on August 3rd 1492 Christopher Columbus and his crew set sail from Palos de la frona Spain the journey ahead was full of mystery danger and hope his Fleet had three ships the Nia small but fast the Pinta a strong and Speedy ship the Santa Maria the largest ship but slow and heavy Columbus was confident he believed that

in just a few weeks he would reach Asia but the truth was he was sailing into the unknown at first everything was perfect the sea was calm the wind was strong and the men were excited they sang songs told stories and dreamed about the riches of Asia but soon problems began to appear the wind changed Direction and the ship slowed down the crew grew Restless many had never been this far from land food and water were limited and the Salty Sea Air made them thirsty all the time as days turned into weeks fear grew in

the hearts of the sailors they started whispering what if Columbus is wrong what if we never find land what if we sail too far and never return some believed in an old myth that there were sea monsters in the ocean that would swallow ship whole by September 10th 1492 more than a month had passed they had sailed thousands of miles but there was no land in sight the sailors started losing hope some demanded to turn back others whispered about throwing Columbus overboard and taking the ships back to Spain a few even cried believing they would

die in the Endless Ocean Columbus stayed calm he knew that if he showed fear the crew would lose all trust in him so he gave them hope he told them stories about the great Treasures waiting for them he promised that land was near he ordered his men to look for signs of land floating leaves birds or different watercolors still the men grew impatient they wanted proof then on the night of October 11th something changed one of the sailors Rodrigo de Triana shouted from the Pinta Tiara Tiara land land everyone rushed to the decks in the

distance they saw a dark shape land tears filled their eyes they laughed they hugged and some even knelt down to pray on the morning of October 12th 1492 Columbus and his men stepped gone to an island in the Bahamas they were in the new world but they still thought they were near Asia the island was beautiful full of green forests clear waters and golden beaches Columbus saw people the Teno the native people of the Caribbean they had dark skin and black hair they wore simple clothes made of cotton they welcomed Columbus and his men with

smiles and gifts offering fruits parrots and handmade objects Columbus believed he had reached islands near India so he called these people Indians the tyo people had never seen ships metal swords or men dressed in armor they thought Columbus and his men were Gods from the sky at first the meeting was peaceful but things would soon change forever after staying on the island for some days col columus continued his journey he discovered more Islands including Cuba which he thought was China Hispanola which today is Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Hispanola he found a golden opportunity

literally the tyo people wore gold ornaments and Columbus immediately became obsessed he believed huge amounts of gold could be found there but Columbus had a big problem his largest ship the Santa Maria crashed on the coast since he couldn't take all his men back to Spain he left 39 of his men behind to start a settlement called La Navidad the Christmas settlement he promised them I will return with more ships more men and we will build a great Colony here then he set sail for Spain the journey back was dangerous there were storms huge waves

and the fear of never making it home but finally in March 1493 Columbus arrived back in Spain he was treated like a hero people cheered his name in the streets King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella welcomed him like a conquering Warrior he showed them gold exotic fruits and parrots he even brought a few tyo people with him to prove that he had found a new world the Spanish rulers were amazed they immediately gave him more ships more men and more money Columbus had won their trust but what nobody knew was that his next Voyage would change

history forever and not in a good way Christopher Columbus's personal life Christopher Columbus was not just an Explorer he was also a husband a father and a man with Big Dreams Columbus married Filipa mon perestrello a Portuguese Noble woman they had a son named Diego Columbus sadly Filipa died young leaving Columbus a widower later Columbus had a second relationship with a Spanish woman named Beatrice Enriquez de Arana they had a son named Ferdinand Columbus who later wrote a book about his father father's life after his first voyage Columbus was a hero in Spain the king

and queen were impressed with his discoveries he had promised them gold land and new territories and now they wanted more they gave him more ships more men and more power Columbus was about to make another Journey but this time things would be very different in September 1493 Columbus set sail again but this time it was not just a few small ships he had 17 ships a huge Fleet he had over 1,200 men including soldiers priests and Farmers he brought animals like horses pigs and cows to start a new Colony Columbus was not just exploring anymore

now he was bringing people to settle in the new world he was building a Spanish Empire after a long journey they finally reached Hispanola where Columbus had left his men at lavidad the Christmas settlement but when they arrived something was wrong the settlement was destroyed there were no Spanish men left only burned ruins and silence remained what had happened Columbus soon learned the shocking truth his men had treated the tyo people badly they had stolen food taken women and used violence the tyo had fought back and killed all the Spaniards this was the first major

conflict between Europeans and the indigenous people of the Americas and it was only the beginning Columbus was angry and determined he decided to build a new colony called Isabella and made himself the governor he forced the tyo people to give gold he started taking land for Spain he made the natives work for the Spanish at first the tyo tried to be friendly but soon they realized Columbus and his men were not here just to trade they wanted to take over everything tensions grew some tyo fought back Columbus used Force to control them the Spanish built

Forts and weap happens to stay in power this was the beginning of European colonization in the Americas by 1498 Columbus had made two voyages now it was time for a third but things were not going well back in Spain people were starting to doubt him they had expected huge amounts of gold but they were not getting rich fast enough some some Spanish settlers in the new world hated Columbus's rule they said he was too harsh but Columbus was still determined he returned to the Caribbean with six more ships this time he found something new he

discovered the South American Mainland he became the first European to see Venezuela but his problems were getting bigger in 1500 the Spanish king and queen sent an investigator to check on Columbus they had heard bad reports people said Columbus was cruel and unfair some Spanish settlers had rebelled against him many were angry because they were not getting rich Columbus had used harsh punishments to control the people the investigator arrested Columbus and sent him back to Spain in Chains it was a shocking fall for a man who had once been treated like a hero even though

Columbus had been arrested he was later forgiven in 1502 he was allowed to make one final voyage but this journey was the hardest of all his ships were damaged in storms his men were tired and sick he was stranded in Jamaica for a year waiting for Help by 1504 Columbus returned to Spain for for the last time by now Columbus was old sick and tired the world had moved on Spain was more focused on other explorers Columbus never got the huge riches he had dreamed of Christopher Columbus died on May 20th 1506 in Spain he

was 55 years old he had made four great voyages across the Atlantic Ocean he had discovered new lands met new people and Changed History forever but in his final days Columbus was not a happy man he was sick weak and forgotten he never got the title he wanted governor of the new world he never knew he had discovered a new continent he still believed he had reached Asia Columbus had once been a great hero in Spain but in the end many people saw him as a failure even even though Columbus was gone his discoveries changed

the world forever after columbus' voyages Spain sent many more explorers to the new world they found gold silver and valuable Goods Spain became one of the richest countries in Europe many cities were built and Spanish culture and language spread across the Americas Columbus's dream of finding new lands had started a Global Revolution a few years after Columbus's death a German map maker named the new continent America after the Explorer Amero vuchi Amero vuchi had traveled to the new lands and realized they were not Asia but an entirely different world Columbus had never known the truth

columbus' voyages opened the door for European explorers to come to the Americas but this also brought pain and suffering to many people the tyo people who had welcomed Columbus were forced into slavery diseases like smallpox killed millions of indigenous people European conquerors took land and power some people today see Columbus as a villain because his arrival led to the destruction of many indigenous cultures but others say he was a brave explor who connected Two Worlds for the first time in history even today people still argue about Columbus's Legacy some say he was a hero because

he proved that ocean voyages were possible open the way for global trade and exploration changed the world with his discoveries others say he was a villain because he took Land from the native people treated the too people harsh brought slavery and destruction to the new world the truth is history is complicated Columbus was not a perfect man he was ambitious Brave and determined but also harsh and ruthless today Columbus is Remembered in many ways Columbus Day is celebrated in the USA and some other countries on October 12th cities rivers and even a country Colombia are

named after him some people protest Columbus Day and call it indigenous people's Day to Remember the native people who suffered no matter how people see him one thing is clear Columbus's journey Changed History forever Columbus's story teaches us many important lessons dream big and take risks Columbus had a dream and he worked for it even when people laughed at him never stop exploring the world is full of unknown opportunities those who dare to explore will find New Paths power comes with responsibility Columbus discovered new lands but his actions hurt many people history teaches us to

use power wisely your actions define your legacy Columbus wanted to be remembered as a Great Hero but history sees him in many different ways what we do in life affects future Generations now that you've heard the full story of Columbus what's your opinion was he a hero or a villain leave your thoughts in the comments