Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer and navigator who discovered the "New World" for Spain and launched European colonisation, dies at the age of 54 in 1506.

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, paving the way for widespread European exploration and colonisation of the Americas. He was born between 25 August and 31 October 1451 and died on 20 May 1506. His expeditions were the first European contacts with the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, and were sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain.
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