On August 2, 1492, Columbus set sail in search of the East Indies. Columbus and 90 crewmen boarded the three ships that were to make the first voyage to the New World, the Niña, Pinta, and the flagship, Santa Maria. On October 12, 1492, Columbus first saw the islands of the new world, landing in the Bahamas. Later in the month, he sailed to Cuba, and to Hispaniola (now Haiti). He thought he had reached the East Indies, the islands off Southeast Asia.

On Christmas Day, 1492, the Santa Maria sank off Hispaniola. Columbus departed for Spain on January 16, 1493 on the Niña, arriving there on March 4. Columbus made three additional voyages to the New World. The second voyage set sail in September, 1493, with 17 ships. During his expeditions, he helped to colonize Hispaniola, and discovered the South American mainland. He did not, however, see mainland North America during any of his voyages. He returned to Spain for the last time on November 7, 1504. He died at Valladolid, Spain on May 20, 1506, at the age of 55.

Controversy exists over Columbus' expeditions and whether one can "discover" an already-inhabited land. It is known that the Vikings explored the North American coast 500 years before Columbus. However, Columbus' expedition was unique and important since it resulted in the first permanent European colonies in the New World. Christopher Columbus is therefore credited with "discovering" America in 1492 from the viewpoint of the Europeans.

One of the first known celebrations marking the discovery of the "New World" by Christopher Columbus was in 1792, when a ceremony organized by the Colombian Order was held in New York City honoring Christopher Columbus. On October 12, 1866 the Italians in New York organized the first celebration of the discovery of America and three years later, the Italians in San Francisco celebrated October 12 calling it C-Day.