Re: Age of Discovery

[Dave Montuori <damont@wolfstar.com>]

Poster: Dave Montuori <damont@wolfstar.com>


> While I'm thinking about it, is there anybody out there that is unaware
> that in 1492 EVERYBODY knew the world was round? 

Everyone that meant anything.

> Columbus' big worry was not falling off the edge but running short of
> food because he said the distance from Europe west to China was only
> 3,000 miles and the scholars said it was 21,000 miles - and no ship at
> that time could hold enough food for an uninterupted 21,000 mile trip.
> Columbus was an idiot, but a lucky idiot.

The figures Columbus was working from were certainly way short. A 21,000
mile estimate, OTOH, is long; to sail "around the world" at latitude 45
takes only 17,000 miles.

Evan

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