Note mostly to self

[anotheranon]

Re: 1421: turns out the Vinland map might be authentic. Just your bit of historical nerdiness for the day.

Suddenly I seem to be finding myself with things to write about :P

Comments

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

Suddenly I seem to be finding myself with things to write about :P

Means you're mentally stimulated and inspired! A very good feeling.

Re the Vinland stuff ... not only did the Vikings settle on this side of the Atlantic long before Columbus (who knew the world was round ... the flat earth thing is a Victorian myth), but there's also a strong possibility that Basque fishermen had discovered and were exploiting the Grand Banks cod fisheries (just off the coast of Newfoundland) ... possibly even before the Viking landings. I have no problem believing that many seafaring cultures eventually heaved up our shores ... lack of positive evidence doesn't necessarily mean a negative fact. Rather than being a "discoverer", ol' Chris C. is more like a tourist who only goes to an "unspoiled" location after there's a big enough tourist industry to guarantee a luxury hotel for accommodation ***grin***

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I think it's likely from a logical standpoint that many groups from the Old World "discovered" the New - seafaring seems like it was possibly the most efficient form of transportation during that time, at least for speed/long distances.

Columbus gets all the credit because he was the first to open up America for European colonization on a large scale - and that wasn't exactly a good thing, when you look at it from the point of the natives :( Sobering thought on this, American Thanksgiving day!

I'm not sure why this history isn't taught more thoroughly in schools - perhaps because there's more of a written record after Columbus (accounts of the Chinese expeditions were destroyed by the emperor's lackeys, not wanting to encourage anyone to go to the expense of such travels again). Maybe it's just that reprinting all those schoolbooks would be too expensive, or because we're already stuck with the Columbus Day holiday :P