Chinese here before Columbus?

[lynnmosher]

Interesting article that says the Chinese discovered America in 1421.

http://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/chinese-beat-columbus.htm

[Rebecca]

Interesting! But the Vikings still beat them all! :D And I suppose if we want to get really technical, the Native Americans were the first to discover America. lol! ;)

Even so, the article is very interesting. I always maintain the ancients/ancestors were much more brilliant than we are today. We just don't give credit where it's due.

Thanks for posting this, Lynn!

Rebecca

[lynnmosher]

LOL! You are absolutely right, Bekka, on all counts!

[Tommie Lyn]

Prince Madoc of Wales discovered America in 1170 A.D. Although there are some who'd like to deny it, the evidence is overwhelming that he and his followers landed at Mobile Bay and traveled up the Alabama River, building fortifications along the way. I grew up not far from one of those fortifications which was built at Fort Mountain in Georgia.

Eventually, intermarrying with Indians, they "became" the Mandan Indian tribe. George Catlin, a painter who lived with the Mandans for some time, said their language was so similar Welsh that they would respond if spoken to in Welsh. (There is a memorial plaque to Prince Madoc at Fort Morgan in Alabama.)

These links have some interesting info about Prince Madoc:

http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Myths_and_Legends/Prince_Madoc.htm

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Wales-History/DiscoveryofAmerica.htm

http://www.tylwythteg.com/fortmount/Ftmount.html

[lynnmosher]

Cool, Tommie Lyn! Thanks for sharing that! :D

[ProfessorAlan]

can we still celebrate Columbus Day?

[Cymrugirl]

Prince Madoc of Wales discovered America in 1170 A.D. Although there are some who'd like to deny it, the evidence is overwhelming that he and his followers landed at Mobile Bay and traveled up the Alabama River, building fortifications along the way. I grew up not far from one of those fortifications which was built at Fort Mountain in Georgia.

Eventually, intermarrying with Indians, they "became" the Mandan Indian tribe. George Catlin, a painter who lived with the Mandans for some time, said their language was so similar Welsh that they would respond if spoken to in Welsh. (There is a memorial plaque to Prince Madoc at Fort Morgan in Alabama.)

These links have some interesting info about Prince Madoc:

http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Myths_and_Legends/Prince_Madoc.htm

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Wales-History/DiscoveryofAmerica.htm

http://www.tylwythteg.com/fortmount/Ftmount.html


I'm not sure if I think the Madoc story is as right as rain as some folks think - but it's certainly a surviving legend. I don't know if it mentions it in the article, but Merriweather Lewis (the Welsh half of Lewis and Clark) was hoping to find the legendary Welsh-speaking native american tribes intermarried by Prince Madoc - particularly because the women were supposed to swoon so easily.

tee hee

[kluchar70]

can we still celebrate Columbus Day?

At my house, we celebrate Columbus Day by wandering about aimlessly seeing as Columbus actually thought he was in the West Indies. I still like what the comedian Sinbad said once. If I may paraphrase, how do you discover something when someone else is already there?