Major Events
- Jan 2 Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders his city to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabel I of Castile, ending both the Reconquista and centuries of Muslim rule in the Iberian peninsula
- Mar 31 Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon issue the Alhambra Decree which expels Jews from their kingdoms
- Apr 17 Christopher Columbus signs a contract with the Spanish monarchs to find the "Indies" with the stated goal of converting people to Catholicism. This promises him 10% of all riches found, and the governorship of any lands encountered.
- Aug 3 Christopher Columbus with Juan de la Cosa second-in-command sets sail on his first voyage with three ships, Santa María, Pinta and Niña from Palos de la Frontera, Spain for the "Indies"
- Oct 2 King Henry VII of England invades France
- Oct 12 Christopher Columbus's expedition makes landfall on a Caribbean island he names San Salvador (likely Watling Island, Bahamas). The explorer believes he has reached East Asia (OS 21 Oct)
- Oct 28 Christopher Columbus sights Cuba and claims it for Spain under the name "Juana"
- Nov 5 Christopher Columbus learns how to grow and harvest maize (corn) from Cuba's indigenous population
- Nov 7 Ensisheim Meteorite strikes a wheat field near the village of Ensisheim in Alsace, France. Oldest meteorite with a known date of impact.
- Nov 15 Christopher Columbus notes 1st recorded reference to tobacco
- Dec 26 1st Spanish settlement La Navidad in the New World is founded by Christopher Columbus (modern Môle-Saint-Nicolas in Haiti)
- More 1492 Events
Born in 1492
- Jan 12 Andreas Alicatus, Italian jurist and humanist, born in Alzate Brianza, Duchy of Milan (d. 1550)
- Mar 4 Francesco de Layolle, Italian Renaissance composer and organist, born in Florence (d. c. 1540)
- Mar 6 Jean Luis Vives, Spanish scholar and Renaissance humanist thought of as the father of modern psychology, born in Valencia, Crown of Aragon (d. 1540)
- Apr 4 Ambrosius Blarer, German reformer, born in Konstanz, Germany (d. 1564)
- Apr 11 Marguerite of Navarre, Queen of Navarre, wife of Henry II of Navarre, born in Angoulême, France (d. 1549)
More People Born in 1492
Lorenzo de' MediciMore 1492 Deaths
Leonardo da Vinci
Michelangelo