(CNN) We grow up learning all kinds of history about the founding of America, and one of the explorers taught in every classroom is Christopher Columbus. But how much do we actually know about him as an explorer and his famous journey?
False: Scholars believe it was Viking Leif Erickson who first came from overseas to America. In fact, they believe Columbus wasn't even the first European to discover what we know as the Americas.
True: His crew did in fact come over on those ships. Several replicas have been made over the years, including a fleet that was gifted to Texas from Spain. The last of the replica ships sank in April.
True and False: He did utilize the help of one chief on the island of Haiti and took back gold, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. But he actually took some of the natives back to the "Old World" as slaves. Columbus and his crew gave the gift of violence and disease to the islands they discovered.
False: He first landed on the island of Guanahani in the Bahamas. He actually never set foot in North America, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, but in present day Venezuela on his fourth journey.
False: Columbus actually made four trips to the Caribbean, and despite bringing back gold, he died in poverty.
True: Though he was doubted by many, and the evidence was stacked against him, Columbus really believed he had accomplished the goal of reaching China and Japan.
True: Even though he didn't technically discover America, he did have a major impact in Atlantic exploration and eventually colonization.
False: President Benjamin Harrison established a celebration of Columbus Day on the 400th anniversary of Columbus' landing in 1892.
True: Several cities, rivers, and other landmarks have also been named after the explorer.