If you ask a question in whose honor America is named, many will answer without hesitation - Amerigo Vespucci. But is it really so? Who actually discovered the "New World"? Historians have long sought the answer to these questions. Let's see who called America America and who first discovered it?
Historical injustice
It is very difficult to answer in honor of whom America is named. Indeed, for many centuries, part of the facts was hidden, and some documents were lost. However, very often in print media you can find articles that talk about historical injustice. According to many, the discoverer of the new continent was Christopher Columbus. However, his name was never immortalized, and America was named after another traveler.
But experts say that Columbus did not open the New World. And there is no injustice. The purpose of the expeditions of Christopher Columbus was the search for the West Indies. For this discovery, he received a laurel branch. The traveler was looking for new trade routes so that the ships could not sail past Asia, which was turbulent at that time. So why is Columbus? He did not call America. And that is a fact.
Amerigo Vespucci
After Columbus, there were many more travelers who sought to discover new lands. Following him went Amerigo Vespucci. He often traveled along the eastern and northern shores of the new continent. It is worth noting that the cards of Christopher Columbus practically did not change anything in the maps of Magellan. As for the documents of Amerigo Vespucci, they allowed us to create an accurate picture of America as a new continent.
It is worth noting that travelers were good friends. Amerigo Vespucci often helped Columbus equip expeditions. According to contemporaries, this man was smart, kind, honest and had talents. Thanks to him, not only notes were written about new lands, but also about their flora and fauna, starry sky, and mores of the local population. Many believe that some facts were slightly exaggerated.
What traveler is America named after
Amerigo Vespucci never sought to take the place of a friend. He did not claim the laurels of Christopher Columbus. After the new continent was named, the sons of the discoverer did not even make claims to Amerigo. At one time, Vespucci proposed calling the discovered continent “New World”. However, it was not his fault that Martin Waldszemulle of Lorraine - the cartographer - declared Amerigo the discoverer of the fourth part of the world. This man was one of the best specialists of that time. It was to him that Vespucci handed over his work and all the materials. This fact influenced the choice of the final name for the continent. As a result, the New World became America.
After 30 years, this name became official and universally recognized. It was indicated even in the maps of Mercator and extended to the lands located in the north. But this is only one version of who America was named after. There are other versions of the story.
Another version
So after whom is America named? There are several versions. The latter has even documentary evidence. Along with the expeditions of Vespucci and Columbus, another navigator several times set off on the shores of the new continent - Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot), a native of Barcelona. His travels were funded by the philanthropist Ricardo Americo. Cabot's expedition sailed to the shores of Labrador. This traveler’s team set foot on the lands of the new continent earlier than Amerigo Vespucci. Cabot is the first navigator to draw up an accurate map of the North American coast: from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.
Experts suggest that the new lands were named after the philanthropist Ricardo Ameriko. In addition, there are official marks in the Bristol calendar, which date back to 1497. The documents indicate that the merchants from Barcelona found new lands that arrived there on the ship "Matthew". This event occurred on June 24 - the day of St. John the Baptist.
Or maybe it was different?
Some historians believe that America was discovered long before the travels of Columbus, Vespucci and Cabot. The first mention of new lands, in their opinion, is subsidized by the 4th century BC. The Greeks and Romans visited here. There are myths among the Aztecs, where it is said about bearded white gods who came from the east. However, apart from legends, there was nothing left.
There is also a version that the Vikings were the first to set foot on the lands of America, and this happened about 500 years before the travels of Columbus. In evidence of this, documents are cited that refer to several settlements that were left in Greenland.
Finally
Now you know who America is named after. There is evidence that Vespucci changed his nickname and began to call himself in honor of the new continent. All of these versions are proven and have a right to exist. It follows that no one offended Christopher Columbus. After all, America was open before him.