The first voyage of Columbus in 1492 is the best documented of the four he made to the Americas. Faithfully recorded though abbreviated by ordained priest and historian Bartolomé de Las Casas, it is often in the famous explorer's own words and gives detailed descriptions, directions and distances; and there is no question the journal is authentic. But therein lies a problem.
To anyone who takes the time for a closer than superficial look at that particular voyage, and actually follow the great explorer's journal on a computer using satellite imagery, something very strange comes to light. To be blunt, the journal is the most confusing mass of nonsense you have ever seen. From the very first island he comes to upon his arrival in the Americas, nothing makes sense - none of the distances, descriptions or directions match the lay of the land and sea.
Again, anyone with a computer can verify this. The journal does not match what it purports to describe. This is the reason that no one knows what island he first arrived at - in spite of centuries of the concentrated effort by brilliant men to determine that simple fact.
Surely we would expect that judging distances, giving accurate descriptions - at the very least being able to determine which way the predominant winds blow - are skills even the the most inept of sea captain would possess; yet in his journal, Columbus seems unable to do any of this.
Now here is the kicker - Samuel E. Morison, an admiral in the US Navy, a professor of history at Harvard, a Pulitzer Prize winning author - and not for any book but for the book he wrote about that very voyage along with the other 3 - this distinguished scholar and seaman assures us that the journal most certainly does make sense. He is, in fact, quite righteous about.it.Â
After huffing and puffing quite extensively, he proceeds to offer the most ridiculous arguments to justify the journal - he invents "land leagues" as opposed to "sea leagues" for example to explain why the distances don't match. These are purely an invention of the author, they absolutely do not exist anywhere else but in Morison's imagination and besides, it works only once; for one harbor and for nothing else.
Not surprisingly, Morison turns to the book called "The Life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus by his son Ferdinand" and uses this instead. Unfortunately, it is now a well known fact that the book is mostly if not completely spurious.
To anyone who is seeking some kind of rationality to this perplexing situation, it is frustrating beyond expression. How can it be that the man considered a hero for having been the first to have the vision, the daring, the know how, to cross the Atlantic can be a complete idiot when it comes to describing what he found.
How can it be that a Harvard professor swears to a lie that, though it would have been very difficult to expose at the time, a child can easily do so now.
Writing in 1941, Morison's mission was to clear up the "myths" about Columbus. Failure was not an option. People were fed up with the controversies and constant, wild speculations that originated at the quarter centenary of 1892. That anniversary focused a lot of attention on Columbus and his voyage and that is when the trouble started. This is, in large part, why Morison was awarded the Nobel Prize. The historical community was so relieved and grateful that the problem could be put to rest.
But now, inevitably, the same problem is rearing its ugly head again because the questions were never really answered, only swept under the rug.
The truth of the story will be found - many discoveries are coming out of the research done by historians who will not be dismissed and they are forcing an honest look at a wider range of evidence, including a fresh look at the journal.
The story that is emerging is fascinating and this one does make sense. It is well worth looking into.
To anyone who takes the time for a closer than superficial look at that particular voyage, and actually follow the great explorer's journal on a computer using satellite imagery, something very strange comes to light. To be blunt, the journal is the most confusing mass of nonsense you have ever seen. From the very first island he comes to upon his arrival in the Americas, nothing makes sense - none of the distances, descriptions or directions match the lay of the land and sea.
Again, anyone with a computer can verify this. The journal does not match what it purports to describe. This is the reason that no one knows what island he first arrived at - in spite of centuries of the concentrated effort by brilliant men to determine that simple fact.
Surely we would expect that judging distances, giving accurate descriptions - at the very least being able to determine which way the predominant winds blow - are skills even the the most inept of sea captain would possess; yet in his journal, Columbus seems unable to do any of this.
Now here is the kicker - Samuel E. Morison, an admiral in the US Navy, a professor of history at Harvard, a Pulitzer Prize winning author - and not for any book but for the book he wrote about that very voyage along with the other 3 - this distinguished scholar and seaman assures us that the journal most certainly does make sense. He is, in fact, quite righteous about.it.Â
After huffing and puffing quite extensively, he proceeds to offer the most ridiculous arguments to justify the journal - he invents "land leagues" as opposed to "sea leagues" for example to explain why the distances don't match. These are purely an invention of the author, they absolutely do not exist anywhere else but in Morison's imagination and besides, it works only once; for one harbor and for nothing else.
Not surprisingly, Morison turns to the book called "The Life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus by his son Ferdinand" and uses this instead. Unfortunately, it is now a well known fact that the book is mostly if not completely spurious.
To anyone who is seeking some kind of rationality to this perplexing situation, it is frustrating beyond expression. How can it be that the man considered a hero for having been the first to have the vision, the daring, the know how, to cross the Atlantic can be a complete idiot when it comes to describing what he found.
How can it be that a Harvard professor swears to a lie that, though it would have been very difficult to expose at the time, a child can easily do so now.
Writing in 1941, Morison's mission was to clear up the "myths" about Columbus. Failure was not an option. People were fed up with the controversies and constant, wild speculations that originated at the quarter centenary of 1892. That anniversary focused a lot of attention on Columbus and his voyage and that is when the trouble started. This is, in large part, why Morison was awarded the Nobel Prize. The historical community was so relieved and grateful that the problem could be put to rest.
But now, inevitably, the same problem is rearing its ugly head again because the questions were never really answered, only swept under the rug.
The truth of the story will be found - many discoveries are coming out of the research done by historians who will not be dismissed and they are forcing an honest look at a wider range of evidence, including a fresh look at the journal.
The story that is emerging is fascinating and this one does make sense. It is well worth looking into.