US point of view for 1492

[Simon771]

So I'm from EU, and in our history books we learned that in 1492 Columb discovered America.

But how does America see that? Do they tech you like "in 1492 we were discovered"  ?

 

It's 100% off topic, but that was bugging me for some time now. Can't find any decent US histroy books of that.

[dalomo]

Nope. We learn it the same way. 

Think about it, most people here came from Europe, so we see it as "we discovered" it. 

[Unhelpful]

1 hour ago, Simon771 said:

So I'm from EU, and in our history books we learned that in 1492 Columb discovered America.

But how does America see that? Do they tech you like "in 1492 we were discovered"  ?

No. Since most of the U.S. population is of European descent it is taught as "In 1492 Columbus 'discovered' America."

[Guest]

The BS has spread. 

[themaniac]

we're taught that it was columb but in reality it was the vikings

[BingoFishy]

1 minute ago, themaniac said:

we're taught that it was columb but in reality it was the vikings

We learned that too

[Simon771]

8 hours ago, themaniac said:

we're taught that it was columb but in reality it was the vikings

Never heard that before lol

 

 

[xentropa]

Columbus was also an Adolf Hitler level piece of doodoo.

[dalekphalm]

13 hours ago, Simon771 said:

Never heard that before lol

 

 

The "Americas" (The New World, North and South America, etc) were actually discovered and rediscovered over and over again over centuries, including some from Asia and the Middle East. Columbus wasn't even the first European to "discover" America.

 

The Vikings landed on Newfoundland in Canada somewhere between 900 and 1030 CE - so they're probably the earliest Europeans to discover America. One Viking Dude ( Leif Ericson - the person who discovered Greenland) actually sighed (but did not land on) Nova Scotia around the year 1000 CE while returning to Europe from Greenland, as his boat was blown wildly off course to the south.

 

A CHINESE Map from ~1420 CE details the pacific coast of The New World in quite some detail, indicating that the Chinese have explored at least some of The Americas at least seven decades before Columbus. Granted though, the Chinese were exploring primarily the South American continent.

 

The Arabs: An Arab scientist from ~1000 CE theorized the existence of The Americas through various mathematical models of the world. He mapped a globe with all known land locations (Which apparently is still extremely accurate by today's standards), and noticed that the entire size of Eurasia was only 2/5th's that of the Globe, so he theorized that a large continent was on the other side. Granted, he didn't physically ever find The Americas, but it's still fascinating.

 

And finally, contemporary European Explorers:

John Cabot - an English Explorer who actually discovered the Americas a year before Columbus. Another Englishman, John Day, actually wrote a letter to Columbus referencing Cabot's discovery. Evidence suggests that Englishmen had been to America as soon as 1470 CE.

 

Interesting article:

http://www.dawn.com/news/1137098

[HectorElFather]

I don't believe history books. It's deeply influenced and affected by politics and it's not subjective at all. Some part of them might be made up as well. How can you make sure that something you've never heard or seen is true? 

[dalekphalm]

10 minutes ago, HectorElFather said:

I don't believe history books. It's deeply influenced and affected by politics and it's not subjective at all. Some part of them might be made up as well. How can you make sure that something you've never heard or seen is true? 

Through peer reviewed research backed up by facts and data.

Certainly, some Text Books are inaccurate, due to mistakes or too greatly simplifying a concept, or through political revisionism. But that doesn't mean all History Books are false. You should always question the sources used, and never trust a book that does not cite it's sources. Ideally a history book will have cited sources that can be independently verified - or at the least, are from a peer reviewed journal, etc.

 

How can you trust something that you've never heard or seen? Same way I trust that oxygen is in the air. I haven't seen or heard or felt it, but it's there, and it's what keeps me alive. Same way that I trust that gravity is in fact real, and it's not magic or God's Will that keeps me stuck to the ground. The same way that I trust that electricity is what powers my computer through the wall, despite the fact that I cannot see electricity. The list can go on and on.

 

There are many facets of life that you cannot physically see or touch or interact with, yet you should still trust that they are there, due to the fact that they have been verified and proven through the scientific method, which includes peer reviewed research.

 

That doesn't mean believe everything. It means if the experts agree, and have research to back them up, and you're not an expert, then you should probably trust them.