After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus saw a Bahamian island on October 12, 1492, believing
he has reached East Asia.

His expedition went ashore the same day and claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored his attempt to
find a western ocean route to China, India, and the fabled gold
and spice islands of Asia.

 Columbus had set sail from Spain on August 3, 1492, with three
ships: the Santa María, the Niña, and the Pinta.