Columbus Day

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

There have been many great radio programs about Columbus Day that are worth looking at as we remember Christopher Columbus on this day, and some of the stories really make us think about who actually discovered America. 

Was it Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Amerigo Vespucci, or Leif Erikson? Nothing's really certain, as records were so sketchy, so all we can really do is guess... 

You can listen to any of those shows on RUSC, and decide for yourself, or this year, instead of rediscovering the discovery of America, I wanted to share with you a different tale - the story of the motives of Christopher Columbus.

It's all in a show called the First Voyage of Christopher Columbus from the series, Family Theater.

The story begins,  “On the morning of October 12th 1492, when the three ships of Columbus’ dropped anchor before an island resplendent with the brilliant green of mangrove trees.

Then with the captains of the other two ships, a range and a scarlet mantle bearing the royal standard with a figure of Christ on the cross, he landed on the shores of the New World, planted the cross and named the new island in honor of the holy saviour, San Salvador.

So it was with the first voyage of Columbus. He made other voyages to and from the New World but his motives remained the same and the only profit he ever gained from the discovery of America were spiritual, and the only things he kept in memory of his discovery were his chains and his title - Grand Admiral of the Ocean.”

Happy listening my friends,