Of course, certain aspects of Columbus' life are often left out of the classroom - because they make the man who initiated the settling of The New World look like a terrible human being.
For example, before Columbus arrived in America, King Ferdinand promised a lifetime pension to the first person to spot land.
Columbus wasn't the first person, as the ship's captain, Rodrigo de Triana spotted land at about 2:00 AM on the morning of October 12, 1492. Rodrigo alerted Columbus, and the rest of the crew by firing a gun into the air.
To everyone's amazement, Columbus claims that he spotted the island a few hours before Rodrigo - he just didn't tell the crew for a reason he never explained.
As a result, Columbus was given the lifelong pension promised by King Ferdinand, and Rodrigo de Triana wasn't recognized for his achievement, as Columbus was his Senior Officer and could not disagree with him.
