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Why is Christopher Columbus credited for “discovering” America?
Even if we ignore the millions of native Americans who lived in the continent before Columbus "discovered" it, even if we ignore other civilizations (eg: Polynesians, Phoenicians, Chinese, Arabs, ...
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Why aren't the Americas named after Christopher Columbus
I was reading the question Why is Columbus Credited with Discovering America, and I wondered why aren't the Americas named after him?
I was under the impression that although he is the one we credit ...
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1answer
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What does 'half-decked' mean?
I'm reading Washington Irving's Life of Christopher Columbus, where he writes:
Two of them were light, half-decked caravels; the Santa Maria, on
which Columbus hoisted his flag, was completely ...
2
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1answer
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How did Columbus calculate the size of the Earth?
Eratosthenes' calculations of the size of the Earth were very precise and very accepted during Columbus' time. Still, Columbus was convinced that the world was significatively smaller and that getting ...
