Christopher Columbus was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. He had noted in his lifetime that he was born in Genoa, Italy. His birth name was Cristoforo Colombo. He eventually became an admiral for the Crown of Castile. Columbus' voyages across the Atlantic Ocean began a European effort at exploration and colonization of the Western Hemisphere. The anniversary of the 1492 voyage, Columbus Day, is observed throughout the Americas and in Spain.