E aʻo hou aʻe e pili ana i ke ola o ke kanaka nāna i ʻike iā ʻAmelika ma ʻOkakopa 12, 1492.
ʻLelo ʻia ʻo Columbus no Genoa ia, a ua hoʻomaka ʻo ia i ka navy i ka makahiki 14.
I ka 1477, ua hoʻokumu ʻia ka mana hoʻokele alakaʻi o ʻEulopa ma Pokukala. Me ka manaʻo he poepoe ka Honua, ua noi ʻo ia iā Juan II o Pokukala e huakaʻi ʻo ia i ke Komohana e hōʻea i nā Indies, kahi papahana i loaʻa ʻole ka pane i manaʻo ʻia. I ʻekolu mau makahiki ma hope mai ua hele ʻo ia i Sepania e ʻimi i ka kōkua o Fernando a me Isabel de Castilla, nā mōʻī Katolika, nāna i hōʻole mua iā ia i kālā no kāna hui. Ma hope o nā pilikia he nui, ua hoʻoholo nā mōʻī e kōkua iā ia, e haʻalele ana iā Puerto de Palos ma ʻAukake 3, 1492.
Ma hope o ʻelua mau mahina o ka holo ʻana, ma ʻOkakopa 12 ka nānā aku ʻo Rodrigo de Triana i ka ʻāina (Guanahani Island). ʻEkolu mau huakaʻi hou aku a Columbus i ka "Indies", kahi āna i manaʻo ai ua hōʻea ʻo ia. Ma hope o kāna huakaʻi hope loa a no nā mea hoʻopūʻiwa o ka ʻaha, ua noho ʻo ia i loko o ka luʻuluʻu kaumaha loa; Maʻi a poina ʻia, ua make ʻo Columbus ma Mei 20, 1506, me ka ʻike ʻole ua ʻike ʻo ia i kahi ʻāina hou.
