Christopher Columbus was actually a Scotsman called Pedro Scotto | Buzz 7

Christopher Columbus was actually a Scotsman called Pedro Scotto (Pete Scott, in modern English.)

Ol' Pete "was from Genoa, but he was the son of shopkeepers, not weavers, and he was baptised Pedro, not Christopher. His family name was Scotto, and was not Italian, but of Scottish origin. He had light-coloured eyes and freckles. He also had blond hair even though it quickly turned white. That’s how his contemporaries described him. Nothing like the traditional images, which are totally invented."

"Villalonga cited a chronicle of Catholic kings written by Lucio Marineo Siculo, who referred in his writings to 'Pedro Columbus,' not Christopher. The historian has also claimed that the navigator once worked for a pirate called Vincenzo Columbus, and adopted that family name in order not to 'expose' his relations."