Happy Columbus Day! Thanks to the politically correct, anti-history bullies who are in the process of taking over more and more of our society, Christopher Columbus has become unpopular and marginalized. Therefore, he deserves to be honored and celebrated now more than ever. I am in the process of developing a project to honor and celebrate all of the people from history who have become victims of “cancel culture.” For now, please enjoy this blog post about Christopher Columbus, an imperfect and still amazing explorer, navigator, visionary, and leader.
Fun facts:
- Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa.
- He was the son of a wool weaver and taught himself to read and write.
- He was above-average height and had reddish hair and blue eyes.
- Starting at age 10, he traveled widely, going as far north as Britain and as far south as Ghana.
- He developed a plan to find a western route to the East Indies in hopes of making a fortune from the spice trade; this resulted in his accidental discovery of the Americas.
- He landed in the Americas for the first time on October 12, 1492.
- During one battle, Columbus and his crew rescued several women who were being held as sex slaves and children who were going to be eaten.
- He made 4 total voyages between Europe and the Americas.
- In 1504, he amazed natives in Jamaica by predicting a lunar eclipse.
- His official military rank is Admiral of the Ocean Sea.
- He died on May 20, 1506 at age 54. His remains are located in the Cathedral of Seville in Spain.
- In 1937, October 12 became Columbus Day in the U.S. In 1971, Columbus Day changed to being celebrated on the first Monday in October.
Quotes:
“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
“One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”
“Riches don’t make a man rich, they only make him busier.”
“Nothing that results in human progress is achieved with unanimous consent. Those that are enlightened before the others are condemned to pursue that light in spite of the others.”
“Goals are simply tools to focus your energy in positive directions, these can be changed as your priorities change, new ones added, and others dropped.”