Monday 3 August 2009

Today, 1492


Christopher Columbus set sail!

I am always in awe of the immense bravery of people who do things like this, risking almost certain death in the quest for - whatever! The recent anniversary of the moon landings highlighted this for me. Looking back I wonder how on earth they managed to do it with what they had - no I am not one of those people who thinks that the landings never happened...

8 comments:

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

On his second voyage he first touch land on the Salt River of St Croix.

agg79 said...

We owe some of our greatest discoveries and accomplishments to those willing to walk a new path.

Kate said...

reminds me of the little rhyme they taught us in school:

"Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
in fourteen-hundred-ninety-two!"

terri said...

Thank God for people like Columbus. If the world were left to people like me, we'd all stay home in the interest of staying comfortable and never learn anything new.

Michele said...

Hey, GRC- When you come back to us live, as opposed to pre-recorded programming, come on over to my blog. I have a bloggy award sitting over there for you!

Anonymous said...

Man he had GUTS!!

Sitting In Silence said...

I wonder that as well...how they ever made it in the first place...

The Moody Minstrel said...

Funny how it wasn't until my late college days that I finally learned that Christopher Columbus was actually a rotten person. He was selfish, he was greedy, he was temperamental, he was something of a control freak, and he was a weasel who'd do anything to get his way without having to make any real effort. He actually offered a reward to the first member of his crew that spotted land, but when America was first seen, he was too cheap to keep his promise.

It was a miracle he even made it; the Santa Maria, Nina, and Pinta were sorry hulks that he bought on the cheap before they could be scrapped.

Then again, looking over history and the various names and faces that made it, I have to wonder how many of our "noble heroes" were actually complete jerks that got lucky (or at least got away with it)?