Hot! Think You Know The Real Christopher Columbus

TONY COX, host: I'm Tony Cox, which will be TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Michel Martin is away.

Coming up, many of us visit your West African state involving Liberia when the united states prepares for you to check out this polls. Many tend to be reviewing to determine no matter if the current leader and modern Africa's very first feminine mind of state will stay in power. That's in a mere some moments.

But first, nowadays is Columbus Day, per day of which schoolchildren around America rejoice the arrival from the gentleman who seem to appeared to be a certain amount using exploring our country. But considering that 1492, we have now mastered a whole lot about just what exactly actually happened. And today, we all wanted to do a minor misconception busting regarding Christopher Columbus .

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, " CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS IS ITS NAME")

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: (Singing) In 1492 Columbus took his voyage in addition to he or she bravely sailed away.

COX: New York as well as Chicago will mark this time having parades and celebrations associated with Christopher Columbus ' voyage and his Italian heritage, plus some will probably protest the afternoon contacting for the reconsideration of your impact in which that voyage had on Native American communities. So, why this conflicting stories?

Well, most people planned to take this kind of probability to brush up about a lot of the details in relation to Christopher Columbus that marilyn and i may possibly certainly not have got figured out as well as have forgotten about from school. With us at this point that will fixed some Columbus Day myths straight, we've got William Fowler, your recognized mentor of story with Northeastern University throughout Boston. Bill Fowler, this is your show.

WILLIAM FOWLER: Well, be thankful for you, Tony. It's a pleasures being here.

COX: Let's bounce right directly into it. I prefer to end up in most of the myths. Here is actually your initial one.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "CHRISTOPHER ROCKIN' BIOGRAPHY")

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: One day, a mapmaker branded Christopher Columbus had a great idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: (Singing) Do you understand what? I imagine the planet isn't washboard at all. I believe it can be round as being a ball.

COX: So, Bill, your dog failed to really think this Earth had been flat, right?

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