A Conversation for Amerigo Vespucci

Vespucci a Fake?

Post 1

Gnomon - time to move on

You say "However, it is known that Vespucci was an explorer and cartographer who undertook a series of voyages from 1497". In fact this is not known at all. Vespucci wrote a letter in which he claimed this, but there is no other evidence. His name doesn't appear in any records of the time and many people feel he was just a sailor who had been on a ship to the New World and liked to tell tall tales.


Vespucci a Fake?

Post 2

shagbark

It was expected that this might be one of H2g2s more controversial entries.
However Scholars such as Martin Fernandez de Navarette
Gabriel Camargo Perez and German Arciniegas acknowledge that Vespucci made these voyages and The King of Spain would hardly have made a common sailor head of his Navy.

Frederick Cook was also called a fake when he claimed to discover the North Pole. There have also been reports that the US Apollo program was a fake and the photos sent back really were done at some secret movie studio.


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