[MR] Wikipedia: Columbus and the Lunar Eclipse

[Garth Groff via Atlantia]

Nobel Friends,

On this day in history not much happened, mainly because the date only 
exists every four years. That said, on February 29th 1504 Christopher 
Columbus used his knowledge of a lunar eclipse to trick Caribbean 
natives into giving him supplies when he and his crew were stranded on 
Jamaica during his fourth voyage.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about this incident: "Columbus left for 
Hispaniola on 16 April heading north. On 10 May he sighted the Cayman 
Islands, naming them "Las Tortugas" after the numerous sea turtles 
there. His ships next sustained more damage in a storm off the coast of 
Cuba. Unable to travel farther, on 25 June 1503 they were beached in St. 
Ann's Bay, Jamaica. For one year Columbus and his men remained stranded 
on Jamaica. A Spaniard, Diego Méndez, and some natives paddled a canoe 
to get help from Hispaniola. The governor, Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres, 
detested Columbus and obstructed all efforts to rescue him and his men. 
In the meantime Columbus, in a desperate effort to induce the natives to 
continue provisioning him and his hungry men, won their favor by 
predicting a lunar eclipse for 29 February 1504, using Abraham Zacuto's 
astronomical charts. Help finally arrived, no thanks to the governor, on 
29 June 1504, and Columbus and his men arrived in Sanlúcar, Spain, on 7 
November."

Of course eclipses happen entirely independent of any man-made 
calendars. That said, the odds of a lunar eclipse on February 29th are, 
well, astronomical. (Ducking for cover!)

You can read more about Chris C. at: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus . Just remember, he 
didn't discover Indians. Indians discovered Columbus. They found him on 
the beach, and that's discovery. It's all in how you look at things. 
(Continuing to keep my head down!)

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Puckish Scot