Few could dispute Christopher Columbus’s status as a
notable historical figure, but as a navigator he was a disaster. His discovery of
the New World on his 1492 voyage is all the more remarkable given that he had
only the vaguest notion of where he was or where he was going.
Using a collection
of fanciful charts and his own wildly inaccurate calculations, Columbus was
convinced just 3,666 kilometers separated Asia from Western World – a quarter
of the actual distance – and that he could open up a lucrative route to Asia.
His certainty that he’d found Asia and his insistence on
calling the region West Indies created a misnomer that survives until today.
Still, Columbus deserves credit for his innovative
thinking and for embracing emerging technologies
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