On October 12, 1492 a crew member on Columbus' ship, Pinta, spots land!
Some people seem to get rather excited about statements that Columbus discovered the American continents. If I write that I discovered the Alexander McCall Smith novels, I bet no one will think I am asserting that they were completely unknown to everyone before I discovered them. The people already living in the New World had a major event happen to them as well as the Europeans. I realize Vikings had made their way here and Native Americans did so much earlier. Still, the Europeans in search of a seaway through the North American continent persisted in calling the Indians "Indians", just as many of us do today. Whatever else you call the event, I think you can consider it a major event in history.
