While it seems unlikely that Chris\to\pher Columbus was the first European to discover the New World, his trip is significant because it led to European expansion into the Western Hemisphere.
After many disheartening attempts to find a sponsor for his proposed shortcut to India, Columbus persuaded Queen Isabella of Spain to finance his adventure.
She gave him three ships, the Niña, Pinta, and the Santa María, and Columbus set sail in 1492. It was not long before the crew became discontent and rebellious, fearing the lack of water and strange fluctuations of the compass. But Columbus continued, and the discovery of a branch with berries on it heartened the crew. Clearly there was land nearby.
And there was. Columbus first landed on a Caribbean island that he named San Salvador. On his subsequent three voyages he visited other Caribbean islands and discovered the mainland of South America.
