a little history

[scubatexastony]

BOB,

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The Egyptians had figured out the 3,4,5 triangle, which meant they knew about the number 3.14, or pi as it's commonly called. That in itself is quite a accomplishment. The Egyptians had also calculated the circumference of the earth and were quite accurate with their calculations.
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The 3,4,5 triangle has nothing to do with pi, although they might have known (and probably did figure out the relationship of 3.14 diameters equals the circumference of a circle). Just a mathamatical quirk of mine, no offense.

dive safe, live long

tony

 

[Walter]

Rick,

"your point assigns responsibility for the actions of generations of explorers and conquerers from several countries to a single man."

No, it does not. I am referring to the millions who died as a direct result of Columbus' personal actions and orders. Columbus was more personally involved with these deaths than Hitler was with the concentration camps. Hitler was pure evil and Columbus was no better. The difference between them is what we are taught in school. To learn the truth about Columbus requires more research on our part.

DSSW,

WWW™

 

[Rick Murchison]

Lemme see if I have this right. You're claiming that Christopher Columbus, with a few hundred men with muskets directly killed more people as an aside to getting gold than Hitler did with a twentieth century army of hundreds of thousands, concentration camps and gas chambers in a concerted effort to kill people?
Didn't happen.
Rick

 

[Walter]

You do not have it right.

I never said Columbus killed more people than did Hitler. I did say "In the process of gathering wealth he caused the deaths of approximately 6 million people. Columbus ranks with Hitler and Stalin amoung the truly evil personages of history."

Do you have any idea why black slaves were imported to the West Indies?

I will dig out more details and references for you. I should have them up for you tomorrow night.

DSSW,

WWW™

 

[Kane(adian)]

I actually just did an assigned reading on this not long ago, so I dug it up.

What I gathered from some of the writings included was that Columbus had his own political agenda, and from the first day he set foot in the New World he thought of the nice hospitible native population as the perfect candidates for slavery.

Remember that the winners of the battle write popular history, and there is no such thing as 100% objectivity.

 

[Bob]

Tony,
You're right. I should have put a period after triangle and then talked about their knowledge of pi. I have edited my original post so there won't be any more misunderstanding. Thanks for pointing out my mistake.:tree:Bob

 

[Rick Murchison]

The reality is that the European conquest of Central and South America resulted in the near extinction of the native populations. Estimates are that from over 25 million or so inhabitants in 1500, by 1600 there were less than a million, by 1650 less than half a million.
This mass decline was not the result of direct action, evil intent, or even European intrigues setting tribe against tribe. Indians in the area had been happily slaughtering and enslaving each other regularly for centuries before they got European help. The killers were syphillis and smallpox.
However "evil" Columbus may or may not have been, his intent and his actions had little effect on the population. He didn't carry the diseases with him on purpose. They were just there, and would have worked their mass epidemic waves of death on the population whether Columbus himself was a devil or a saint.
Rick

 

[JustAddWater]

Good point Rick. It should also be noted that we are judging people of long past by 20th/21st Century standards. The Renaissance was yet to reach its maturity in 1492, and beliefs of autonomy for the individual, or individual culture yielded way to imperialism and religious zealotry. I'm not saying the result of the conquest of the Americas was not tragic for the indigenous people. It just needs to be considered that this was part of a society that we deem today as brutal. This is why I hesitate to put Columbus in the league of Hitler and Stalin.

Speaking of leagues, (here's my segue into diving) I'd like to hear more about the book "The Silent World". "The Last Dive" is on my wish list; how does "Silent World" compare?

 

[Lost Yooper]

People's noggin's were just wired different back then.

Mike

 

[neil]

Originally posted by JustAddWater

Speaking of leagues, (here's my segue into diving) I'd like to hear more about the book "The Silent World". "The Last Dive" is on my wish list; how does "Silent World" compare? [/B]

JAD,
The "Silent World" is Cousteau's classic about the early days of scuba diving. From 1950, I think. My copy is from '53. It's got great accounts of the early testing of gear and various adventures he had with his crew. AND cool old photos. Worth finding a copy.

Neil