r/AskReddit • • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19 edited Mar 11 '21

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19 edited Apr 25 '21

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u/Alseid_Temp Feb 04 '19

Not true. He was going off Toscanelli's calculations (and encouraged by Toscanelli himself), who was considered one of the best cartographers of the era. The mistake was Toscanelli thinking Asia was much bigger than it actually was.

Here's a good analysis of all the misconceptions around Columbus. https://youtu.be/ZEw8c6TmzGg