Unwavering, resourceful, unshakable, optimistic, and fearless. Christopher Columbus, a lionhearted explorer who paved the path for exploration, is all the above adjectives. Born in 1451 Genoa, Italy, Columbus was one of the numerous explorers to discover America. Columbus went from weaving wool to working on trade ships to becoming one of the world's most eminent known explorers. Utilizing only a quadrant, compass, sand glass, and Celestial Navigation Columbus made his way to America. Looking back one can see, technological advances have profoundly progressed since Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492. For example, Martin Behaim, a German geographer, is known for making “the oldest known western terrestrial globe” in 1492[1]. One can conclude then that Columbus didn't have many tools to assist him in his …show more content…
exploration.
However, presume Columbus had some technology humans have today. How might this change his preparation and his overall odyssey? What technology would have been beneficial to him?
Christopher Columbus was known as a “dead reckoning navigator”[2]. Dead Reckoning Navigation, or also known as Deduced Navigation, was used by an umpteen of sailors. In Dead Reckoning Navigation the helmsman can find his locus by measuring the distance he has sailed to a known point. Each day, the ending position was the starting point for the next day. However, this method is not as elementary as it sounds. In order for this tactic to work, the helmsman needs to measure his course and distance sailed. Therefore, a course is measured by a magnetic compass, and distance with a time and speed calculation. One can conclude then that this was a nettlesome process. Of course, since then humans have immensely improved in this area. Today, there is a way to know where one is at while at sea that is much less problematic.
This device is known as a GPS (Global Positioning System). A GPS allows one to see the exact position of where they are at with a great deal of precision. This device would have been especially beneficial to Christopher Columbus. Although Dead Reckoning Navigation got Columbus to where he needed to go with a few errors, a GPS ensures exactly where one's location is. No doubt Columbus planned his voyages and had an idea of where he wanted to go. The goal was to make a straight route from Europe to Asia to find gold, pearls, and spice [3]. However, he landed in America. Considering this, with a GPS Columbus would have most likely found Asia. With the oldest known globe created in 1492, the year Columbus set sail, the people were still not entirely positive of what was beyond where they lived. Therefore, Columbus planning would not have been as intense, nor as mysterious of where and how he would arrive at his destination. Using a GPS, he, and his crew would have known precisely where they were going. “In 1492 Columbus sailed the Ocean blue,”goes the mnemonic saying [4]. A true fact indeed, being Christopher Columbus did set sail in 1492 using three boats. The Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria. The Niña and Pinta were small caravels, while the Santa Maria was a larger ship skippered by Columbus. The Santa Maria was stout and sluggish and could carry a great amount of merchandise[5]. The captain was Juan de la Cosa, a Spanish navigator, and cartographer. Santa Maria sailed smoothly across the Atlantic until it sank after hitting the reefs off the Haitian coast. The Pinta was a small ship captained by Martin Alonso Pinzon, a skillful matelot from Moguer, Spain The size of the Pinta measured 56 feet in deck length and around 17 feet wide. This resulted in limited cargo space. However, “this enabled the ship to be...fast and lighter to move in the waters as compared to the Santa Maria”[6] Lastly, the smallest and sturdiest the Nina was “by far Columbus favorite”[7]. The Niña, specifically built for sailing the Mediterranean Sea, is the smallest of the three. Despite its size, the Niña was the only ship to make it through the hurricane in 1495, victoriously making it to Spain with Columbus as the helmsman. With the Pinta reaching a maximum 8 knots a day, the Niña slightly slower, and Santa Maria the slowest, Columbus managed to sail the ocean blue to America. Since the first motorboat was not invented until 1886, the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria's primary power source came from the wind. A rudder, a flat piece of metal or wood near the bottom of the boat allows the helmsman to steer the boat. With just the wind as his main power source, Columbus sailed an astonishing 90 to 100 miles in a day [8]. No doubt, Columbus made great speed just using the wind. However, suppose Columbus had a piece of technology that enable him to travel at an exceedingly faster speed. Something that would get him to where he needed to go in half the time. A motorboat would allow him to do all of this. Reaching up to speeds over 90 miles per hour the motorboat is substantially faster than the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria. In fact, the average motorboat can travel 80 knots (92mph), while Columbus boats traveled 8 knots(9.2mph) at the most. Taking this into consideration, it would not have taken him “two months” to cross the Atlantic [9]. Christopher Columbus could have reached his destination in half the time. Fewer supplies would be needed, for the journey would be much shorter. The motorboat would not rely on the wind, so Columbus could keep a constant speed. Some of the men that served as Columbus crew wouldn't be needed, for steering a motorboat is much less strenuous. Bearing in mind all of this, his planning would not be anywhere as complicated as before. All things considered, Christopher Columbus used the finite technology he had to an ample extent. Using only a magnetic compass, deduced navigation, and the wind, he successfully sailed to America. For generations, he paved the road for exploration. Although having the technology today would have made his odyssey less arduous, it reveals a great deal about this valorous explorer and his personality. Christopher Columbus expedition with limited technology shows he was unwavering, resourceful, unshakable, optimistic, and fearless.
Some of the problems when studying history are the texts and documents that have been discovered are only from perspective. Furthermore, on occasion that one perspective is all there may be for historians to study. A good example of this textual imbalance can be found from the texts about the discovery of the New World; more specifically, the letters of Christopher Columbus and Pêro Vaz de Caminha during their voyages to the New World. Plenty of the text from this time is written from the perspective of the Europeans, as the Indigenous population did not have any written text. What this means is that it provided only one perspective, which can drastically hinder how history is interpreted. Columbus’s letter of his first voyage to the Caribbean
What could one man do to change the world we never knew? Columbus’ explorations gave us many opportunities. He introduced new products such as tomatoes and cotton which we still eat and use today. H...
Christopher Columbus was a European explorer who a more fitting title would be a conqueror. He didn't discover anything as the common believe would say, rather he conquered already inhabited land. Christopher Columbus "exploration" had a bunch of direct and indirect effects. The exploration sponsored by the King and Queen of Spain had direct effects such as giving Spain control over new land and giving Christopher Columbus the fame he so desired, furthermore the so-called exploration also had some indirect effects such as allowing other nations to sail West and it also affected the Natives and increased the slave trade.
Would you like to be captured and become a slave for some main that came to your land? I doubt that anyone would like for this to happen so could you image the many slaves killed and forced to work for Christopher Columbus. Also, I highly doubt that anyone would like to hop on a ship and go somewhere in Europe that you don’t even know. The natives were good people, and they were a part of the world too. I believe that Christopher Columbus was a villain for coming to the natives land unwanted, he also only wanted to find gold and seize power, and because Columbus in my mind was a hypocrite.
Christopher Columbus is a mythical hero or in other words, not a true hero. The story of Christopher Columbus is part of the many myths of Western civilization. Also the story of Christopher Columbus represents the power of those that are privileged and in most cases white European men that have written this mythical history. Zinn (2009 exposes the truth about Columbus through eyes of the people who were there when he had arrived which were the Native Indians (p.481). Columbus had kept a personal journal for his voyage to describe the people and the journey. What was evident throughout his journal was the Native Americans were very nice, gentle and kind hearted people (Zinn, 2009, 481). As Zinn suggests Columbus spoke of the Native Americans as” they are the best people in the world and
“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”, is the rhyme embedded in children’s heads in the first lesson of US history. However, beyond the discovery of the New World, Christopher Columbus receives no other mentions. Especially no one acknowledges that he was the reason Native Americans were mistreated and kept as slaves. Although Christopher Columbus’ actions are not all honorable he should still be celebrated during Columbus Day as a brave explorer who risked his and his crew’s lives to find a new way of travel and land. His efforts bridged a gap between the New and Old World and helped feed Europe, which immensely impacts our society. Because of his dedication and bravery to be an explorer Christopher Columbus Day should be celebrated.
...us brought America to the attention of the civilized world, to the growing, scientific civilizations of Western Europe. The result, ultimately, was the United States of America. It was Columbus’ discovery for Western Europe that led to the arrival of ideas and people on which this nation was founded on. The voyages of Christopher Columbus contain one of the great adventure stories of all time. His first journey across thousands of miles of unknown ocean, in the middle of the rebellious grievances and tensions of his crew, was not only one of the most significant achievements of recorded human history, but was also a demonstration of Columbus's dominance as mariner and navigator. For a while he had faults and defects, which brought turmoil to his personal life, but there was no flaw, no dark side to the most significant of all his qualities, of course his seamanship.
In our personal lives we consider our past forgotten, however in our history everyone affects how they see themselves. "history repeats itself " is gradually long time we know manipulated and deceived us the wrong information, books, learning in school, the "biased" report before the newspaper, radio and television. Let us move on and we just solemn pray for that will prosper in our country. I noticed that there have been distortions in our history. It’s sad because it seems like we have forgotten the sacrifices of those who died during the time of dictatorship. This tragedy cannot continue. We should stand up for someone’s rights today. Times have changed. More sooner than later, they will take power into their hands by all and whatever
Columbus went on four voyages in his lifetime to the New World accomplishing many great things along the way. Although all the land Columbus had found was already inhabited by other civilizations he was ultimately the first person to lead the permeant European discovery of the New World or better known as
Columbus would bring many new and different commodities unseen by the Natives of this world.
Christopher Columbus is honored as the man who opened the doors to an Age of Discovery and exploration. Although he may not have been the first European to set foot onto the Americas, he did begin a wave of exploration in a new hemisphere. The time period of the age of discovery follows the end of the Middle Ages, which Columbus himself is a product. If it were not Columbus that brought European settlement to the New World, then it would have been some other explorer who probably started out with the same goals and ideas.
On the Twelfth of october every year, the United states of America celebrates a very controversial holiday. Columbus day. Which marks the day that Spanish explorer and conquistador Christopher Columbus first landed on the island of Hispaniola (Now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Many good things have come out of Columbus’ crew first landing in the Americas. The blending of culture between the old and the new world, the beginning of the globalization of our world. But even the best diamond has its blemishes. Millions upon millions of Native Americans lost their lives in the following hundreds of years from old world diseases and gold thirsty Europeans.
Before the most famous historic voyage to the Americas Christopher Columbus had no support to go on his expedition. Christopher Columbus tried to get support from the King of Portugal John II, but he was turned down. Spain finally agreed to sponsor his voyage in 1492 across the Atlantic Ocean. By agreeing to sponsor Christopher Columbus voyage they believed they would have gained leverage in what they were trying to do in Spain. The Reconquista made the Spaniards very powerful. By Christopher Columbus finding new land with people and gold it convinced King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to continue to support his voyages. Even though the king and queen believed that allowing him to go on the voyages benefited them it actually allowed Christopher
In the years leading up to and including 1491 European explorers had been researching and studying the world, however they lacked a real understanding of the true size and geography of our planet. When explorers finally began setting out on their expeditions in the late 1400’s, the world began to experience serious change. Before Columbus is credited with the discovery of America in 1492, the Americas were untouched by Europeans, but within a few hundred years permanent settlements would be founded on American soil despite the presence of the native people.
The Age of Exploration began as a result of new technologies that guided explorers during sea voyages. Explorers used many tools and technologies during The Age of Exploration, to explore and make discoveries. Technology and tools that explorers used, included, caravels, compasses, astrolabes, and even sponsors. A sponsor is a person who gives money for an undertaking, such as a voyage. A sponsor would also provide money for materials needed for the voyage, such as, caravels, and other necessities. A caravel is probably the most important material needed for a voyage. A caravel is a ship designed for long voyages. Caravels have both square sails, and triangular lateen sails. However, they each provided/allowed different things. Square sails provided power, when lateen sails allowed quick turns. The compass, a Chinese invention, allowed sailors to track their direction. On the other hand, an astrolabe, an ancient Greek invention, improvised by the Arabs, would measure the angle of the stars above the horizon. This would help sailors find their s...