Monday, October 9, 2017

Greetings Infomaniacs,

Today is Columbus Day, when we celebrate Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Bahamas. Columbus never set foot on the main-land of North America.

Interestingly, historians say that it was on this day that Leif Ericson discovered 'Vinland' (possibly L'Anse aux Meadows, Canada), nearly 500 years before Columbus, which possibly makes him the first European to reach North America.

Enjoy!

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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is honored by posterity because he was the last to discover America."

HINT: (1882-1941) an Irish novelist and poet who contributed to the modernist avant-garde and is regarded as one of the most influential and important authors of the 20th century.

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RANDOM TIDBITS
During Columbus' time, most people believed that the world was formed mainly of one giant landmass consisting of Europe, Asia, and Africa--mainly because these are the only continents mentioned in the Bible. These were surrounded by one enormous body of water they called the Ocean Sea.

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One reason Columbus estimated the distance around the Earth shorter than other navigators is that he had read Arab maps. As he read the maps, he used a shorter distance for a mile than the Arab map makers had used, causing him to estimate the circumference as being one-fourth less than the actual number of miles.

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Columbus disrupted the entire economy of three continents. Post-Columbian diseases killed 3-5 million people during the subsequent 50 years after his arrival in the New World. Additionally, African slaves became a dominant commodity.

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Columbus first landed near the coast of what is today known as Watling Island in the Bahamas. Although he thought he was near China, Japan, and India, he was actually more than 8,000 miles away.

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Columbus was very religious and believed God had called him to make his voyages. Many of the names Columbus gave to the lands he discovered were religious names.

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Columbus was a talented admiral, but he was also a slave trader. While he soon discovered that the new lands did not hold silver, pearls, and other treasures, they did hold people, whom Columbus viewed as valuable resources. He is believed to have instigated the slave trade.




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*** Weekly Mind-Scrambler ***
I build bridges of silver and cro1wns of gold. Who am I?

Submit your answer by clicking: TheDailyTease

Answer will be posted in Friday's Trivia Today. Good Luck! If your name appears in Friday's newsletter, EMAIL MICHELE your complete name and address to be shipped your prize.

Be sure to put "Winner" in the subject line.

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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is honored by posterity because he was the last to discover America."

ANSWER: James Joyce