CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
I chose this event because he was the first European to explore the America's.
Christopher Colombus was the explorer that found North America in 1492. It's obvious why that would be important to U.S. history; if Christopher wasn't born, wasn't funded to go on his journey, or didn't decide to go the route he planned he wouldn't have found the land soon to be called North America; which would have made America's entire history shift so nothing would be as we know it ot be today. While exploring the coast of Central America, Columbus came upon a long dugout trading vessel whose occupants had weapons and tools made of copper and flint, textiles and a beer-like fermented beverage. It is believed that the traders were from one of the Mayan cultures of northern Central America. Interestingly, Columbus decided not to investigate further and turned south instead of north along Central America. Columbus died in Spain in 1506, and his remains were kept there for a while before being sent to Santo Domingo in 1537. There they remained until 1795, when they were sent to Havana and in 1898 they supposedly went back to Spain. In 1877, however, a box full of bones bearing his name was found in Santo Domingo. Since then, two cities – Seville, Spain and Santo Domingo – claim to have his remains. In each city, the bones in question are housed in elaborate mausoleums.