The Third Voyage of Columbus

Columbus's Third Voyage started off hopefully but ended in failure. Columbus chose this trip to sail farther south than in the two previous voyages. After he left Spain on May 30, 1498, three of his ships headed directly to Dominica with supplies, but Columbus and the remaining three ships sailed farther south. While in the Atlantic, he discovered what we call today 'compass variation', where north on his compass and north as calculated by the North Star differed based on his position. His ships stalled out in the Atlantic for a few days with no wind, but soon were able to move again. Because of the stall, his ships were running low on supplies. They couldn't sail farther south; they had to make for familiar land in order to resupply.

Columbus's Third Voyage

On July 31, they landed on the island of Trinidad. From August 4-12, he explored the Gulf of Paria, which separates Trinidad from the Paria Peninsula (part of today's Venezuela). He then landed on and explored part of this peninsula. The Orinoco River empties into the ocean here, and Columbus correctly believed that he was not on an island, but a large land mass. He was still looking for the passage into the Pacific, but he knew that he wouldn't find it there. He moved on to the islands of Chacachacare and Margarita, and sighted Grenada.

By this point, Columbus was in poor health, so they set sail for a familiar island: Hispaniola. They landed on August 19, but their trouble was just beginning. Many of the settlers on the island were in rebellion against Columbus's rule, saying he was cruel and that they had been misled about the treasures of the New World. A number of settlers and sailors had returned to Spain and testified in court against him, saying he and his brothers had mismanaged the territory. Columbus had a number of the settlers hanged for disobedience. The court in Spain didn't like these reports either, and the clergy in Spain went up in arms when they heard that Columbus refused to baptize the natives because of his economic interest in using the natives as slaves. In October 1499, he sent a couple ships back to Spain with a message he needed a commissioner appointed to help him govern. The new commissioner (Francisco de Bobadilla) arrived in 1500 and was immediately met with complaints about Columbus and his brothers. Based on this, and based on the complaints heard by the court in Spain, Columbus was arrested, chained, and sent back to Spain, all without a defense.

In 2006, a 48-page report was found in the Spanish city of Valladolid. It contained the testimonies of 23 people who were both in support and against Columbus's rule. Much of it is filled with barbaric tales of his leadership, too cruel to mention in this blog. However, it basically explains that just short of genocide took place on the island of Hispaniola.

After six weeks in jail, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella finally were able to listen to Columbus's side of the story. It is obvious that Columbus had created much wealth and fame for the Spanish empire, but his ruling methods were cruel and too harsh for the Spanish to abide by. The king and queen released Columbus and his brothers, restored their wealth, and even agreed to fund a Fourth Voyage. But Columbus would no longer be any kind of ruler.

The Second Voyage of Columbus

Columbus left from the port of Cadiz on September 24, 1493, on his second voyage to the 'New World' for one purpose: colonies settlement. The new policy for explorations was beyond just exploiting the resources of the new lands. This is why the second voyage had 17 ships and 1200 men. Just like in the first voyage, the group stopped at the Canary Islands for resupplying. They left to sail the Atlantic on October 13. They first spotted land on November 3. They first landed on the island of Dominica, followed by Guadalupe, which he explored between November 4-10. And thus began the discoveries.

Map of the Second Voyage

A whole series of islands were discovered on this trip. The islands discovered were as follows: Montserrat, Antigua, Redonda, Nevis, St. Kitts, Sint Eustatius, Saba, St. Martin, and St. Croix. You might recognize several of these islands as being vacation destinations. He also discovered the Virgin Islands, and named three: Virgin Gorda, Tortola, and Peter Island. He continued on and landed on Puerto Rico, naming it San Juan Bautista (but later only its capital city of San Juan retained any of this name). It was on Puerto Rico that Columbus had his first real encounter with armed resistance when his group rescued two boys from a tribe.

The group continued on to Hispaniola on November 22. His goal was to revisit the settlement of La Navidad that was set up on his first voyage. However, he found the settlement in ruins, and 11 of the 39 Spaniards in the settlement dead. He found out the native Taino people committed the attack, so he set up a system where any member of the Taino that was over 14 years old had to deliver an amount of gold every three months, and if they couldn't get gold, then they had to bring an amount of spun cotton. Punishment for not bringing the demanded amounts was a cutting off of the hands and bleeding to death. Columbus moved on and began the settlement of La Isabella, but this settlement didn't last long because it was situated in a poor location.

Next he moved on to Cuba, which he arrived at on April 30, 1494. He explored the island's southern coast, then moved on to Jamaica on May 5. He retraced his way back to Hispaniola, and departed the island for Europe on August 20, 1494.

This voyage was wrought with controversy throughout history. Not only was his harsh treatment of the Taino people called into question, but an incident with a friend of his that accompanied the voyage. Michele de Cuneo, a childhood friend of Columbus, wrote a letter about a native woman that he wished to have for himself, but when the woman wasn't interested, Cuneo beat her. Some historians have come to the conclusion that Columbus not only knew about the event but willfully accepted it. Either way, Columbus's ways and manners with the natives were beginning to be called into question, but they wouldn't reach the courts in Spain until after his third voyage.

The First Voyage of Columbus

Everyone knows this song which has the famous line "in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue", and everyone knows that he sailed the Niña, the Pinta, and Santa Maria. But is that the whole story? Of course not. Columbus made four voyages to the New World before he died in 1506. And what you don't know may surprise you! Here's the story of the first voyage.

Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera on August 3, 1492. He had three ships: the large Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Santa Clara (which had been nicknamed the Niña, which is Spanish for "little girl" since the Santa Clara was smaller than the Santa Maria). The three ships stopped at the Canary Islands for restocking and supplies before leaving on September 6 to cross the ocean. Around 2 AM on the morning of October 12, a lookout named Rodrigo de Triana spotted land from the Pinta. He alerted the captain (Martin Alonzo Pinzon) who verified that it was land. He shot a cannon to alert Columbus on the Santa Maria. (This is important because Columbus told the king and queen of Spain that he was the first to see land, because they had promised a lifetime pension to whoever spotted land first.)

Approximate Trip of the First Voyage

We know that Columbus and his men landed on an island they called San Salvador, and we know it is in the Bahamas, but we don't know exactly which island it was. There are three possibilities: Samana Cay, Plana Cays, or and island that was named San Salvador Island in 1925. Although we don't exactly know which people he encountered, we know that the first group were friendly. Columbus knew they were of no match for him and his men, writing in his diary "I could conquer the whole of them with 50 men, and govern them as I pleased." 

After some more stops on small islands, they landed on the northeast coast of Cuba on October 28. After some exploring of the shore, on November 22, Pinzon on the Pinta left to find an island the natives had told them about which was supposed to be rich in gold. Columbus and the other two ships continued exploring and arrived on the northern coast of Hispaniola on December 5. On December 25, the Santa Maria ran aground and had to be abandoned. Columbus met with a native tribe who agreed to the idea that Columbus leave behind some men. So 39 men were left and founded the settlement of La Navidad (which is present day Mole-Saint-Nicholas, Haiti). Columbus on the Santa Clara (the Niña) rejoined the Pinta on January 6. 

The last stop of the voyage was on January 13 on Samana Peninsula on Hispaniola. They encountered a tribe that showed force against the explorers. They used arrows against Columbus and his crew, so they called it the Bay of Arrows (which is today Bay of Rincon in the Dominican Republic). It was here that Columbus kidnapped some of the natives to take back to Spain. (The exact number isn't known because only seven or eight actually made the trip.) 

He set sail for Spain, but a storm forced the two ships to the port of Lisbon, Portugal, on March 4, 1493. After a week in Lisbon, they set sail and arrived at the port of Palos on March 15.

Naturally, word spread quickly of Columbus's discovery, but had he discovered a "New World"?

Robert Wadlow, Tallest Man

Who is the tallest man in recorded history? You may know the answer if you live near Alton, IL, or have ever visited a Guinness World Records Museum or a Ripleys Believe It or Not Museum.

Robert Wadlow was born in Alton, IL, on February 22, 1918, to very average sized parents. His mother was about 5 ft 6 in tall, and his father was about 6 ft tall. When he was born, he weighed 8 lb 6 oz, and was about 18 inches long. Very normal. Unfortunately, this was the only time in his life that he was normal sized.

Robert standing next to his father

Robert suffered from a condition called hyperplasia of his pituitary gland. Hyperplasia is a condition where an organ produces an unusually high amount of cell. In Robert's case, the overabundance of cells in his pituitary gland caused him to continue to rapidly grow his whole life. His size caused him a great deal of pain, so he had to wear leg braces in order to walk. It got to the point he couldn't feel his feet or most of his legs. He would walk with a cane, but refused to use a wheelchair.

He became a celebrity starting in 1936 when he toured with the Ringling Brothers Circus. He continued to tour in the following years, but in those tours he wore his own street clothes. On June 27, 1940, he was measured and checked in at 8 ft 11.1 in tall, officially being declared the tallest person on record. On July 4, 1940, he was at a public appearance at the Manistee National Forest Festival. His leg brace irritated his ankle which caused a blister that soon became infected. Doctors performed a blood transfusion and a emergency surgery. His condition grew worse, and he died in his sleep on July 15, 1940. He was buried in a 10 foot long casket that weighed nearly half a ton.

Below is a list of events in his life and how tall he was at the time.

When he began to walk at 11 months old, he was about 3 ft 5.75 in tall and weighed 45 lbs.
At age 4 1/2, he passed his mother's height. He was 5 ft 6.5 in tall and weighed 120 lbs.
At age 5, he attended kindergarten. He was 5 ft 10 in tall and weighed 143 lbs.
At age 6, he passed his father's height. He was 6 ft tall and weighed 160 lbs.
At age 9, he was strong enough to carry his father upstairs. He was 6 ft 5 in tall and weighed 180 lbs.
At age 13, he wore a size 25 shoe size. He was 7 ft 4 in and weighed 301 lbs.
At age 18, he was 8 ft 4 in tall and weighed 391 lbs.
At age 22, he was 8 ft 11.1 in tall and weighed 492 lbs.

Although the condition of hyperplasia of the pituitary gland is rare, it does happen. Once the diagnosis has been made, it is possible to correct it. This treatment only stops growth, so if you are already abnormally large, you will stay that way, but you won't continue growing.

Robert's statue in Alton, IL

Robert Wadlow was known as the "Alton Giant" as well as the "Gentle Giant". He is still well known today for as much of his pleasant demeanor as his size.

The Civil War Widow of the 21st Century?

Who was the last Civil War widow to die? Her name was Maudie Hopkins. Would it surprise you to know that she died in 2008? How could it be that someone married a man who served in the war at a time between 1861-65 and die almost 150 years afterward? Actually, it's a simple manner.

Cantrell and Hopkins

You see, back in the early 1900's, young women would marry these older Civil War veterans in order to obtain his pension once he died. In Arkansas (where Maudie was from) made a state law in 1937 saying that women who married these veterans were not eligible for the pensions. The law was changed in 1939 to say that women who married the men after 1870 were not eligible.

Maudie married William M. Cantrell in 1934. He supported her with his pension, and after he died, she obtained his house in 1937. The pensions were cut off in 1937 because of the state law. She went on to remarry that same year and two times afterward.

In case you're curious, William M. Cantrell had enlisted in the Confederate army and served in the Virginia Infantry. He had been captured in 1863 and was released in a prisoner exchange.

William Cantrell's gravestone

By now, you're probably curious of how their ages matched up and how this all is possible. Cantrell joined the Confederate army at age 16. Maudie was born in 1914. Cantrell's wife died in 1929. Maudie married Cantrell in 1934: he was 86, she was 19. Maudie went onto live to the age of 93 when she passed away in 2008.

Maudie has the distinction of being the last known Civil War widow, but there are rumored to be two more: one in Tennessee and one in North Carolina. If these two are still alive, they apparently want to remain anonymous. Maudie didn't like to talk about her first marriage for fear of a tarnished reputation and gossip in the community.

Sea Salt and Table Salt

One of the new trendy health food items is sea salt. The claim is that sea salt is better for people because there is less processing involved. Packaging from all sorts of different foods and even restaurants proudly proclaim "made with sea salt!" as if it's a much better thing. But is it really any better?

As with nearly all elements of food, what's in the media or popular at the time might change. Not long ago, there was the switching from high fructose corn syrup back to real sugar as if real sugar was healthier. There's always the debate about eggs, which seems to switch from healthy to unhealthy and back within a couple years. So, what's the difference between table salt and sea salt? Is there a difference?

There is a difference in the salt and how it's made. Table salt is mined from land deposits, whereas sea salt is salt that has been collected after the water from a salt water body has been evaporated. Sometimes, these bodies of water are oceans or seas, sometimes they are salt lakes, and sometimes they are just salt water ponds created by the salt manufacturer. Table salt is processed to remove any other elements from the salt crystals, as well as usually adding iodine and a non-clumping agent. The other elements that can be found in salt (magnesium, calcium, etc.) are left in with the sea salt. These elements can give sea salts slightly different flavors and colors.

Different salt colors from around the world

Seems pretty different, right? Well, not exactly. The elements can adjust the taste somewhat and color, but if you look at the amount of sodium chloride (NaCl), the element that gives salt its taste, you will note that the amount of NaCl in table salt and sea salt is the exact same. Some people like to think and say that sea salt is a lower sodium alternative to table salt, when in actuality, it's exact same amount of sodium.

The only real differences turn out to be the minerals in the salt and the texture. The other minerals in sea salt may give sea salt a slightly different taste, but the minerals are in such a small quantity that the health benefits are negligible. Table salt has a uniform texture, whereas sea salt usually doesn't, but that's more appearance than health benefit.

So which is better? The Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association agree that table salt and sea salt are the exact same when it comes to nutritional value. However, taste and texture can be different. So in the end, follow the researchers and don't give in to the media hype. Also remember that high uses of sodium (whether it be table salt or sea salt) can lead to health problems, so try not to have too much of either.

Once in a Blue Moon

There's an old phrase that goes "once in a blue moon". We all know it to mean once in a great while. But what is a blue moon and why does this phrase occur?

The term blue moon goes back a long time, but the first traces of it in written English are from a pamphlet written in 1528. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Maine Farmers' Almanac published the times of full moons for farmers. This publication was the first to explain the definition of a blue moon. But before their definition, you have to understand full moons first.

If you take a calendar year and split it into quarters, you are looking at four blocks of three months. Typically in a quarter, there are three full moons. Technically, there are 12.37 full moons a year. No, there aren't partial full moons, but mathematically, it works out to 12.37 full moons. This means that some years, there will be three full moons in a yearly quarter all year long. That year won't have a blue moon. But sometimes, there is a fourth full moon in the quarter. In order for the names of the three full moons to be kept in check, the third full moon in a quarterly amount of four full moons is considered to be the blue moon. This was the definition given by the Maine Farmers' Almanac.

However, in the 1940's, the magazine Sky & Telescope had an article about the blue moons. The author misinterpreted the definition that the almanac had made. He assumed that it meant some years there are 13 full moons instead of 12, and the second full moon in a month is considered to be the blue moon. Oddly enough, this inaccurate definition became the definition that people know.

So, last night, we had a blue moon, and the next one is scheduled to be for 2015. Since there is such a long period of time between blue moons, that's where the phrase "once in a blue moon" came to be known as once in a great while.

Also, don't forget the great classic song "Blue Moon".