Christopher Columbus's Voyage: Navigational Skills vs UFOs

The ancient aliens television show often suggests that Christopher Columbus’s ships were guided by a yellow orb UFO and that he found the new world under alien guidance. However, this claim is unsupported by historical evidence. Columbus’s voyages were primarily driven by his navigational skills, the use of celestial navigation, and the understanding of wind patterns. He relied on maps, compasses, and the experience of his crew, as well as the prevailing maritime knowledge of his time.

The Role of Navigation Technology

One of the key tools Columbus used for navigation was the astrolabe, a device that has been around for almost 1000 years by the time of his voyages. There are several versions of the astrolabe, and for more information on this fascinating device, you can search for “astrolabe” online. Columbus successfully navigated to the new world because he was a capable sailor of his time and his crew was of high quality, skillfully using the navigation technology available at that time. He also benefited from good fortune, avoiding severe storms that could have sunk his ships.

Technology and the Misconception

There seems to be a tendency to believe that people from hundreds or even thousands of years ago did not use technology. This misconception stems from the common association of the term “technology” with modern computing. However, the term technology is widely applicable. An example is steel making for weapons production, a technology originally deployed by ancient people that has evolved from craft work to mass production, much like the evolution of the Commodore Computer of the 1980s into modern PC’s and Macs in the 2020s. The ancients did not have computers, but they were just as intelligent and capable as modern people.

The New World Was Not Lost

The idea of a lost new world, only rediscovered by Columbus, is also unsupported by historical records. Apart from the indigenous people who lived there and knew exactly where it was, European fishermen had been fishing off the Grand Banks of what would later be Newfoundland for generations. This interaction indicates that the new world was not a complete mystery to Europeans and that there was prior contact and some understanding of its existence.

Conclusion

The myth of UFOs guiding Columbus is a part of the speculative narrative often presented in the realm of alternative history and pop culture. While the concept of UFOs can be intriguing in popular culture, it does not have a basis in the historical record regarding Columbus's voyages. Columbus and his crew were the ones who navigated to the new world through their advanced navigation technology and skills, and not through extraterrestrial assistance.

Historical accuracy can be a fascinating topic, and ancient navigation technologies like the astrolabe play a significant role in our understanding of early explorations.