What are Christopher Columbus' accomplishments?

Christopher Columbus is best known as the explorer who discovered North America. While his original hypothesis was that he could sail west from Europe in order to reach eastern Asia, Columbus stumbled upon the large land mass now known as North America, which led to colonization.

Columbus was involved in many voyages to and from the newly discovered land mass. His first trip was in 1492 with three ships, of which one was lost. After leaving 39 men at a settlement, he went back to Europe to report his findings. He returned in 1493, 1498 and a final time in 1502.