Why did European explorers like Columbus sail across the ocean to the Americas?
The Wrong-Way Shortcut
Why did European explorers like Columbus sail across the ocean to the Americas?
Here's a thing that sounds backwards: Columbus didn't set out to find America at all. He was trying to reach Asia — and he sailed the wrong way on purpose. To understand why anyone would do something so strange, we have to start with something boring and delicious: spices.
In Columbus's time, the 1490s, Europe was wild about spices like pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. These didn't grow in Europe. They came from far-off Asia, carried thousands of miles by traders across deserts and seas. By the time a sack of pepper reached a European market, it had passed through so many hands that it cost a small fortune.
