Amerigo Who?

Mum and I were chatting about Columbus day and what a fallacious holiday it is. He didn't discover America. He didn't even make it to America.

Come to think of it, he didn't "discover" anything, since everywhere he went already seemed to have people happily inhabiting it. Doesn't "discover" imply that no one else has been there, done that??

It's been a while since I studied history, but as I recall, the first non-natives to "find" this continent were Vikings.

We discussed where the name "America" originated, and Mum wondered aloud whether kids in school today even know who Amerigo Vespucci was.

These days, it's just another day off from school, another day for the banks to deny us access to our money, another day to have a One! Day! Sale!!

We're celebrating by going in search of a costume for the Evil Genius for Samhain/Halloween. Ain't it grand to live in Vespucciland??