2006-10-05 03:08:42 · 30 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
By accident
2006-10-05 03:10:18 · answer #1 · answered by GD-Fan 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Without refrigeration or modern medicine spices were a very important commodity in Europe. They were imported from Southeastern Asia and India and the commerce route was long and dangerous.
Christopher Columbus convinced the Spanish kings that if he sailed westwards he would reach the Indies by sea shortening the commerce route and giving Spain a bigger control over the spice trade. What he didn't know was that there was a huge continent on the way.
Columbus always believed and died thinking he had reached the other side of the world. It wasn't until 1507, a year after Columbus death it was made public that this was an entire new continent after the explorations of another Italian named Amerigo Vespucci.
2006-10-05 11:29:58 · answer #2 · answered by Lumas 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who is 'we'? Isn't that a more important question?
If you want the standard answer: Western Europeans were looking for a shorter route to get to the spices of the Orient.
However its often overlooked that as a fact Vikings came to Newfoundland almost 500 years earlier than Colombus and perhaps Irish sailors came over even earlier.
Even 'native' Americans are said to be immigrants, coming over to North America from Asia either by the ancient Arctic land bridge or some speculate that they too came over by boat but much much longer ago. However there is no scientific nor anecdotal agreement on when or why people first lived in 'America'.
2006-10-05 10:26:34 · answer #3 · answered by megalomaniac 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who do you mean 'we'? The Americas were discovered by a Genoan sailor who was sponsored by the Spanish monarchy in 1492.
But - hey - guess what? There were people already there!! They had probably got there from either across the Bering Strait or sailed from Polynesia. They might have had some Viking blood from the voyages of Eric the Red and possibly Irish connections from the voyage of St Brendan..
If you wanna know why the last discovery happened - it was an accident. Columbus didn't know it was there and thought he had reached the Indies (now Malaya/Indonesia) That's why we now have West Indies and East Indies!
2006-10-05 14:35:27 · answer #4 · answered by andigee2006 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that's a pretty Eurocentric view of things... there were people there long before "America" was "discovered" but if you really must know, well a bunch of strapping young lads threw together some wooden planks into what is called a ship, and then draped some cloths from it and got blown across an ocean. It was actually probably the Chinese who did it first, followed by the Vikings but of course Columbus takes the cake in history class.
2006-10-05 10:15:06 · answer #5 · answered by wreck_beach 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"We" technically didn't discover America first, the Vikings did I mean the Native American who came here first did. Why lies with Columbus, and long lost viking ships as well as the once laded Barren Strait which was once connected to Russia. That's all... for now. But in a way "we" did discover America by being born here. Why I don't know. We chose it in a past life possibly. But as far as why did Columbus discover America, well he died thinking he got to Asia.
2006-10-05 10:17:20 · answer #6 · answered by Karina B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because Europe was looking for a direct western sea trading route to India and Columbus ran into America. The islands are still called the West Indies because they thought it was India.
2006-10-05 10:13:49 · answer #7 · answered by jugghayd 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As far as "we", I don't know if you personally did but I was not there at the time.
I understand that the guy who is credited with the discovery was on his way to India with a good idea and a bad map. When he came ashore he had complete confidence that he had found India but was later awarded bragging rights for America.
2006-10-05 10:13:01 · answer #8 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We discovered America because we were motivated by greed, always a compelling force, guided by ignorance, ever a staunch leader, and blessed with incredible good fortune, always nice to have especially when you don't really know where it is you're off to.
2006-10-05 10:39:34 · answer #9 · answered by Seeker 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God knows. Wish we hadn't. Assume you mean how?
Probably the Vikings.
Columbus was looking for a route to the Spice Islands without going round the Cape of Good Hope.
Amerigo Vespucci gave his name to the Continent.
It's all downhill from there.
2006-10-05 11:39:33 · answer #10 · answered by cymry3jones 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ummmm--exactly who is "we?"
The Chinese? The Scandinavians? The Egyptians? The forebears of the Native Americans? Space Aliens?
2006-10-05 14:29:51 · answer #11 · answered by Chrispy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋