Columbus Discovers America

Overlooking all of the controversies, Columbus Day remains a federal holiday here in the US.

I remember as a young child being told about how Christopher Columbus, the famous explorer, discovered our lands, and how he proved the world wasn't flat. You too, may even remember being taught the rhyme:- 

"In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue."

Later, in high school, I remember finding out that those stories of Christopher Columbus weren't exactly on point, and that he did not in fact 'discover' America - it had already technically been discovered 500 years earlier, by Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson! 

There's a Cavalcade of America show about his explorations here. 

So on Columbus Day, we celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas, which marked the beginning of a new era. 

It's a heavily debated subject as to why we still celebrate the arrival of a tyrant who tortured and enslaved the natives who had welcomed him. Many have called for us to completely renounce Columbus Day, renaming it Indigenous Peoples' Day, and this year Washington D.C. voted to rename it too, but the change will only last a year.

I was listening to a You Are There show today called Columbus Discovers America. Thanks to its interesting technique, this program manages to make a much-cliched historical fact vivid and fascinating. Columbus' voyage is woven in and out of historical forces and attitudes of his contemporaries, the philosophical conflicts of his time, and the Inquisition-ridden Spanish monarchy.

I hope that you enjoy listening to these shows on RUSC, and whether or not you choose to celebrate Columbus Day, that you have a great time over the long weekend.

Happy listening my friends,