“In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”
This simple rhyme, taught to generations of schoolchildren, encapsulates one of history’s most
enduring narratives: the brave Italian explorer who defied conventional wisdom, sailed west to
prove the Earth was round, and discovered a New World. It’s a story of vision, courage, and
discovery, a perfect historical tale that forms the bedrock of how many of us understand the
European encounter with the Americas.
There’s just one problem: almost everything about this story is wrong.
As we’ve seen in previous chapters, some of history’s most widely accepted “facts” turn out to
be complete fabrications. The myth of Columbus ranks among the most pervasive of these
historical falsehoods, a story so deeply embedded in our cultural consciousness that questioning
it can feel almost like heresy. Yet the reality of Columbus’s voyages and their context is far more
complex, interesting, and revealing than the simplified myth we’ve inherited.
The Schoolbook Version vs. Reality
Picture a typical elementary school classroom in America during the 20th century. Children learn
that Christopher Columbus was a visionary explorer who:
- Set sail to prove the Earth was round, despite warnings he might fall off the edge
- Bravely navigated uncharted waters against the advice of fearful contemporaries
- Discovered America in 1492, opening a “New World” to European civilization
- Changed history through his courage and determination
This narrative has been repeated in textbooks, holiday celebrations, monuments, and popular
culture for generations. It has shaped how millions of people understand the beginnings of
American history. Yet historians have long recognized that virtually every element of this story
is either grossly misleading or entirely false.
The reality is that: - Columbus didn’t discover America, indigenous peoples had lived there for millennia, and
other Europeans had reached the continent centuries earlier - Nobody in Columbus’s time thought the Earth was flat, educated Europeans had known it
was round for over a thousand years - Columbus wasn’t trying to prove the Earth was round, he was attempting to find a
western route to Asia - Columbus miscalculated the Earth’s size and was lucky to find land before his crew
starved to death - He never set foot on the North American mainland and died believing he had reached
Asia
How did such a distorted version of history become so widely accepted? And what does the real
story of Columbus tell us about how historical myths form and persist?
The Myth of the Flat Earth
During my research for this book, I asked hundreds of people what they knew about Columbus.
The most common response was some variation of: “He proved the Earth was round when
everyone else thought it was flat.”
This idea is so widespread that it appears in children’s books, popular media, and even some
educational materials. It portrays medieval Europeans as ignorant and superstitious, fearful that
ships might sail off the edge of a flat world. Columbus, in this telling, was the forward-thinking
visionary who challenged this belief.
The historical record tells a completely different story.
Ancient Knowledge of the Earth’s Shape
The understanding that the Earth is spherical dates back to ancient Greece. As early as the 6th
century BCE, Pythagoras proposed that the Earth was a sphere. By the 4th century BCE,
Aristotle was listing observational evidence for this conclusion in his writings:
- Ships disappear hull-first over the horizon, with the top of the mast visible last
- Earth’s shadow on the moon during lunar eclipses is always circular
- Different stars are visible when traveling north or south
Around 240 BCE, the librarian Eratosthenes in Alexandria not only knew the Earth was round,
he calculated its circumference with remarkable accuracy using shadows cast at different
latitudes. His calculation came within about 10% of the Earth’s actual size, an extraordinary
achievement for ancient mathematics.
These ideas weren’t lost with the fall of Rome. Medieval scholars preserved and built upon
Greek and Roman knowledge. The influential 7th-century encyclopedia by Isidore of Seville,
widely used throughout the Middle Ages, clearly described the Earth as a sphere. Thomas
Aquinas, the most prominent Christian theologian of the 13th century, incorporated Aristotle’s
spherical Earth into his worldview.
By Columbus’s time, educated Europeans had accepted the Earth’s sphericity for over a
millennium. It was taught in universities, discussed in scholarly texts, and incorporated into
navigation techniques. The globe itself was a common symbol of authority in royal iconography,
kings were often portrayed holding a sphere (called an orb) representing their dominion over the
Earth.
“The myth that Columbus’s contemporaries thought the world was flat is one of the strangest
misconceptions in history, ” explains Dr. Jeffrey Burton Russell, a historian who has extensively
researched this topic. “Not only did educated medieval people know the Earth was round, but
this knowledge had been common among the educated for centuries.”
The Origins of the Flat Earth Myth
If nobody in Columbus’s time actually believed in a flat Earth, where did this persistent myth
come from? The answer lies primarily with two 19th-century American writers who
fundamentally reshaped the Columbus narrative for their own purposes.
In 1828, Washington Irving, better known as the author of “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend
of Sleepy Hollow”, published a romanticized biography titled A History of the Life and Voyages
of Christopher Columbus. Though presented as history, the book mixed fact with fiction,
inventing dramatic scenes including a confrontation between Columbus and reactionary clerics
who supposedly argued against his voyage based on flat-Earth beliefs.
Irving’s book was enormously popular and influenced how generations of Americans understood
Columbus. Though he essentially fabricated the flat-Earth opposition to Columbus, his fictional
account was repeated as fact in countless later works.
This distortion was further cemented by John William Draper’s History of the Conflict Between
Religion and Science (1874) and Andrew Dickson White’s A History of the Warfare of Science
with Theology in Christendom (1896). These influential books portrayed the medieval Church as
an enemy of scientific progress, using the Columbus story as evidence of religious opposition to
scientific truth. Their portrayal of Columbus as a scientific revolutionary fighting against
religious dogma fit perfectly into the late 19th-century narrative of conflict between science and
religion.
The Columbus myth served multiple purposes in 19th-century America:
- It portrayed America’s European discovery as a triumph of reason over superstition
- It provided a heroic founding figure for American history
- It reinforced the idea of America as a place of new beginnings
- It supported the narrative of inevitable progress and the superiority of modern thought
over medieval beliefs
Once embedded in school textbooks, the flat-Earth myth became self-perpetuating. Generations
of Americans learned a version of history that portrayed Columbus as a lone genius battling
medieval ignorance, a story far more dramatic and satisfying than the complex historical reality
What Columbus Actually Believed
If Columbus wasn’t trying to prove the Earth was round, what was he attempting to do? His
actual goal was practical rather than theoretical: to find a western route to Asia.
During the 15th century, European merchants were eager to trade directly with China, India,
and the East Indies, sources of valuable spices, silks, and other luxury goods. The land routes to
Asia were long, dangerous, and controlled by Ottoman Turks and other intermediaries who
made trade expensive. Portuguese explorers were pushing down the coast of Africa seeking a sea
route around that continent, but this journey was lengthy and difficult.
Columbus proposed an alternative: sailing west across the Atlantic to reach Asia. This wasn’t a
new idea in principle, given a spherical Earth, sailing west to reach the east was a logical
possibility. The question was whether such a journey was practically feasible with 15th-century
ships.
The primary dispute between Columbus and his contemporaries wasn’t about whether the Earth
was round, but about how big it was. And on this crucial point, Columbus was dramatically
wrong.
Columbus’s Miscalculation
Columbus Didn’t Discover America
Even if we accept that Columbus was sailing into territories unknown to Europeans of his time
(which he wasn’t), the notion that he “discovered” America is deeply problematic. This framing
centers European experience while erasing the indigenous peoples who had populated the
Americas for thousands of years.
The People Who Were Already There
When Columbus and his crew made landfall in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, they
encountered the Taíno people, who had been living in the Caribbean for centuries. The
Americas were home to sophisticated civilizations with their own technologies, cultures,
religions, and social systems.
In what is now Mexico, the Aztec Empire ruled over a population of millions from their capital
at Tenochtitlan, a city more populous than any in Spain at the time. The Maya had developed
advanced mathematics, astronomy, and writing systems. In South America, the Inca managed a
vast empire connected by an extensive road network. In North America, diverse indigenous
nations had their own complex societies, from the urban center at Cahokia on the Mississippi to
the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy in the Northeast.
These civilizations had their own “discoveries” and explorations, their own histories and
achievements. To frame Columbus as “discovering” their lands reinforces the Eurocentric view
that places with non-European populations were somehow undiscovered until Europeans arrived,
as if the existing inhabitants were invisible or irrelevant.
During my interviews with indigenous scholars for this book, this erasure was repeatedly
identified as one of the most harmful aspects of the Columbus myth. “It’s not just historically
inaccurate, ” explained Dr. Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, “it’s a foundational narrative that positions
indigenous peoples as secondary characters in our own homelands.”
The Europeans Who Came Before
Even from a purely European perspective, Columbus was not the first to reach the Americas.
Archaeological evidence conclusively proves that Norse explorers from Scandinavia reached
North America around 1000 CE, nearly 500 years before Columbus.
Led by Leif Erikson, these Norse voyagers established a settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows in
present-day Newfoundland, Canada. The archaeological site, discovered in 1960, contains the
remains of eight buildings and numerous artifacts confirming Norse presence. The settlement
was likely a base for further exploration along the North American coast, which the Norse called
Vinland.
Norse sagas written in the 13th and 14th centuries describe these voyages, mentioning
encounters with indigenous peoples and attempts at colonization. These accounts were largely
unknown in southern Europe during Columbus’s time, but they establish beyond doubt that
Columbus was not the first European to reach American shores.
Some theories suggest even earlier European, African, or Asian contact with the Americas,
though these remain more speculative. What’s certain is that Columbus’s voyage in 1492 was
neither the first human arrival nor the first European arrival in the Western Hemisphere.
Columbus Never Reached North America
Perhaps the most ironic aspect of crediting Columbus with “discovering America” is that he
never set foot on the North American mainland. His four voyages took him to the Caribbean
islands, parts of Central America, and the northern coast of South America, but never to the
land that would become the United States.
Columbus first landed on an island in the Bahamas that the local Taíno people called Guanahani.
He renamed it San Salvador and claimed it for Spain. He went on to explore Cuba and
Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) during his first voyage. His subsequent
journeys took him to other Caribbean islands, the coast of Venezuela, and parts of Central
America.
Throughout all his voyages, Columbus insisted he had reached Asia, specifically, the East
Indies. He called the indigenous people he encountered “Indians” because he believed he was in
the Indies. This geographical misconception persisted throughout his life; Columbus died in
1506 still believing he had found a western route to Asia, not a previously unknown (to
Europeans) continent.
The term “America” itself comes not from Columbus but from Amerigo Vespucci, another
Italian explorer who realized that Columbus had actually found a “New World.” The continents
were named “America” in Vespucci’s honor by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller
in 1507, a year after Columbus’s death.
How the Myth Shapes Our View of History
The Columbus myth isn’t just a matter of historical inaccuracy. It fundamentally shapes how
many people understand the beginning of American history and the relationship between
European and indigenous civilizations. The consequences of this distorted narrative continue to
influence education, politics, and culture today.
Erasing Indigenous Perspectives
By framing Columbus as “discovering” America, the traditional narrative implies that the land
was somehow empty or unformed until European arrival. This starting point for American
history effectively erases thousands of years of indigenous civilization and portrays Native
Americans as supporting characters rather than protagonists in their own story.
“When I was in school, our history textbooks began with Columbus, ” recalls Rebecca Nagle, a
Cherokee writer and activist I interviewed. “It was as if nothing important happened here before
Europeans arrived. That’s a powerful message about whose history matters.”
This erasure has practical consequences. The tendency to begin American history with European
arrival contributes to the widespread ignorance about indigenous cultures, treaties, sovereignty,
and current issues. It reinforces the idea that indigenous people are relics of the past rather than
contemporary communities with living cultures and ongoing concerns.
Glorifying Conquest
The traditional Columbus narrative often portrays his arrival as the beginning of “civilization” in
the Americas rather than what it actually represented: the beginning of conquest, colonization,
and genocide for indigenous peoples.
Columbus’s own actions in the Caribbean were brutal. He enslaved indigenous people, imposed
harsh tribute systems, and responded to resistance with extreme violence. On Hispaniola, the
Taíno population collapsed from perhaps millions before European contact to near extinction
within decades due to disease, slavery, and warfare.
When we celebrate Columbus as a heroic discoverer without acknowledging this broader
context, we implicitly endorse the colonial perspective that European conquest was inevitable
and justified, a “civilizing” mission rather than an invasion. Reinforcing the “History Is Written by Victors” Principle
The evolution of the Columbus myth demonstrates how historical narratives can be shaped to
serve the interests of those in power. In the United States, the elevation of Columbus as a
national hero was partly driven by Italian-American communities seeking acceptance in a society
that often discriminated against them. Columbus Day became a national holiday in 1937,
following lobbying by Italian-American organizations.
The mythologized Columbus served multiple political purposes:
For those promoting Western civilization, he represented the spread of Christianity and
European values
The Columbus myth exemplifies how history becomes distorted when it’s pressed into service for
contemporary political needs. As the Spanish philosopher George Santayana observed, “Those
who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But equally dangerous is
remembering a past that never actually existed.
The Changing Understanding of Columbus
In recent decades, the traditional Columbus narrative has faced increasing scrutiny and revision.
Indigenous activists, historians, and educators have worked to correct the historical record and
highlight perspectives that were previously marginalized.
Many cities and states have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, shifting the
focus from European “discovery” to honoring the diverse indigenous cultures that predated
European arrival. School curricula have begun to present more balanced accounts of Columbus
and the Columbian exchange, acknowledging both the significance of increased contact between
Europe and the Americas and the devastating consequences for indigenous peoples.
This revision doesn’t mean Columbus is unimportant. His voyages did initiate sustained contact
between Eastern and Western hemispheres, triggering profound global changes. The Columbian
Exchange, the transfer of plants, animals, technology, ideas, and diseases between
hemispheres, transformed environments, diets, and populations worldwide. This is Columbus’s
true historical significance, not the mythical “discovery” of a “new world” or proof of Earth’s
roundness.
As with our previous examples of historical myths, the case of Columbus demonstrates how
popular misconceptions can become deeply embedded in cultural consciousness. Even as
historical scholarship has corrected these errors, the myths persist in popular culture, education,
and public discourse.
For a young United States, he provided a founding figure who predated British
colonization
For Italian-Americans, he offered a connection to American history that countered antiItalian prejudice
For American nationalists, he symbolized the “discovery” and “destiny” of the nation The Man Behind the Myth
Lost in all the mythmaking is Columbus the actual historical figure, a complex, flawed, and
ultimately tragic character whose life bears little resemblance to the heroic discoverer of legend.
Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo in his native Genoa) was born around 1451 to a
middle-class family in the Italian maritime republic. He went to sea as a teenager and educated
himself through reading and practical experience. Ambitious and deeply religious, he combined
navigational skill with an unshakable conviction in his divine mission to reach Asia by sailing
west.
His geographical theories were wrong, but his determination was remarkable. After years of
rejection, he secured backing from the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, who were
competing with Portugal for maritime dominance after completing the Reconquista against
Moorish kingdoms in Spain.
Columbus was both skilled and lucky, skilled in his navigation and seamanship, lucky that an
unknown continent stood between Europe and his intended Asian destination. When he
encountered the indigenous Taíno people in the Caribbean, his reactions revealed the complexity
of Renaissance European attitudes: he admired their generosity and physical beauty while
simultaneously viewing them as potential converts, servants, and sources of wealth.
As governor of the lands he claimed for Spain, Columbus failed spectacularly. His brutal
administration of Hispaniola led to indigenous rebellion and Spanish dissatisfaction. He was
arrested and briefly imprisoned before being rehabilitated and allowed to make his fourth
voyage. He died in 1506 in Spain, relatively wealthy but frustrated that he had not received all
the recognition and rewards he believed he deserved.
The real Columbus was neither the visionary hero of American mythology nor simply the villain
of more recent counter-narratives. He was a man of his time, skilled, ambitious, religious, and
ruthless, whose actions had world-changing consequences he neither intended nor fully
comprehended.
Learning from Historical Myths
The Columbus myth exemplifies how historical distortions become accepted as fact:
The myth persisted even after historians had thoroughly debunked it
By recognizing these patterns, we can become more critical consumers of historical information
in all forms. When we hear simple, dramatic stories about complex historical events, we should
ask: What perspectives are missing from this account? Whose interests does this version of
history serve? What evidence supports or contradicts this narrative?
The story was simplified and dramatized to create a more compelling narrative
It was shaped to serve political and cultural needs of later generations
Once established in education and popular culture, it became self-perpetuating The real story of Columbus and the European encounter with the Americas offers more valuable
insights than the myth. It shows how geographical misunderstandings can have world-changing
consequences. It reveals the complexity of cultural contact and the devastating impacts of
colonization on indigenous populations. And it demonstrates how historical events are
reinterpreted by each generation to serve contemporary needs.
Key Insights from Chapter 3
The mythologized Columbus story developed in the 19th century, serving various
political and cultural purposes that continue to influence American identity today.
In our next chapter, we’ll explore another persistent historical myth, the idea that medieval
Europe was an era of complete intellectual darkness, the so-called “Dark Ages.” Like our
previous examples, this widely accepted view of history turns out to be largely a creation of later
generations rather than an accurate depiction of the medieval world.
The belief that medieval Europeans thought the Earth was flat is a modern myth,
educated people had known the Earth was round since ancient Greek times.
Columbus wasn’t trying to prove the Earth was round; he was attempting to find a
western route to Asia.
Columbus miscalculated the Earth’s size and would have failed in his mission if the
Americas hadn’t been in his path.
Norse explorers led by Leif Erikson reached North America around 1000 CE, nearly 500
years before Columbus.
Columbus never set foot on the North American mainland and died believing he had
reached Asia.
The Columbus “discovery” narrative erases indigenous perspectives and the sophisticated
civilizations that existed in the Americas for thousands of years before European arrival.