The Horizons of Christopher Columbus: Using the Heavens to Map America
The Horizons of Christopher Columbus: Using the Heavens to Map America

Author: Arne Molander

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1105863352

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The horizons were of fundamental importance to Columbus. The western horizon was the focus of his lifelong quest for undiscovered territory. He used the stars grazing his northern horizon as his guides for sailing constant latitudes, and the lunar-planetary conjunctions (LPCs) at his eastern and western horizons to measure his longitudes. Most 15th Century oceanic sailors knew how to sail constant latitudes guided by the stars, but few, other than Columbus, knew how to use the heavens to measure longitude. His innovative navigation method measured longitudes by comparing measurements of LPCs at his eastern and western horizons using celestial data tabulated in his Ephemerides. Major findings include: Columbus used celestial events, he served on a 1477 voyage to Nova Scotia, comprehensive evidence reveals his 1492 landfall was at Egg Island, Amerigo Vespucci beat Ponce de Leon to Florida by a dozen years, and Columbus may have facilitated a deliberate sinking of the Santa Maria.

Mapping Christopher Columbus
Mapping Christopher Columbus

Author: Al M. Rocca

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2023-02-10

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 1476687552

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The impact of Christopher Columbus's first transatlantic voyage launched an unprecedented explosion of European exploration. Throughout the last 500 years, scholars have recognized this transforming event, and they have written extensively on the subject. To date, no American author has dedicated a book to Columbus's life before 1492. This biography does so, with a focus on geographical experiences that affected his formulation of a transatlantic concept. Incorporating extensive research from American and European scholars (historians, geographers, anthropologists, and cartographers), the author proposes that Columbus systematically built a transatlantic voyage proposal from knowledge gained on previous voyages in the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The book's extensive use of maps place Columbus's actions on specific land and ocean locations. Persons interested in gleaning more information about Columbus's maritime background will find a plethora of maps to visualize the extent of his early travels.

Maps of Paradise
Maps of Paradise

Author: Alessandro Scafi

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2014-02-15

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 022610608X

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Where is paradise? It always seems to be elsewhere, inaccessible, outside of time. Either it existed yesterday or it will return tomorrow; it may be just around the corner, on a remote island, beyond the sea. Across a wide range of cultures, paradise is located in the distant past, in a longed-for future, in remote places or within each of us. In particular, people everywhere in the world share some kind of nostalgia for an innocence experienced at the beginning of history. For two millennia, learned Christians have wondered where on earth the primal paradise could have been located. Where was the idyllic Garden of Eden that is described in the Bible? In the Far East? In equatorial Africa? In Mesopotamia? Under the sea? Where were Adam and Eve created in their unspoiled perfection? Maps of Paradise charts the diverse ways in which scholars and mapmakers from the eighth to the twenty-first century rose to the challenge of identifying the location of paradise on a map, despite the certain knowledge that it was beyond human reach. Over one hundred illustrations celebrate this history of a paradox: the mapping of the unmappable. It is also a mirror to the universal dream of perfection and happiness, and the yearning to discover heaven on earth.

Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand as Self-control Mechanism of Social Structures
Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand as Self-control Mechanism of Social Structures

Author: Tadeusz Szuba

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-11-07

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 3031062566

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This book shows how such a computational process functions, how great is its power and versatility, since it is possible to show how discoveries are made. In 1759, A. Smith realized that there must exist an additional powerful control mechanism behind Great Britain’s authority and government, explaining the extraordinary successes of Great Britain. He called this the Invisible Hand. Despite having used this term only 3 times, the idea evokes extreme scientific and political emotions to this day. If we apply a molecular model of computation, such as in in Adleman’s DNA computer, a computational model for the Invisible Hand can be built to show how it affects a society. It is a spontaneous, unconscious, distributed, noncontinuous computational process on the platform of minds of, e.g., people or ants. Knowing this mechanism, a future self-steering and self-optimization system for AI robot teams can be proposed, e.g., for construction sites and rescue operations.

Expanding Horizons
Expanding Horizons

Author: Alfred J. Andrea

Publisher: Hackett Publishing

Published: 2024-06-03

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 1647921937

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"A trailblazer in the field of premodern global history, Andrea here guides readers through the medieval expansion of the 'first Europe' from the fifth to the fifteenth centuries. Ranging from Ireland to Ethiopia, from the Mongol Empire to the so-called New World, Expanding Horizons demolishes any lingering sense that European societies remained isolated from the wider world before the modern age. Complete with maps, excerpts from primary source documents, and suggestions for further reading, this book will be an ideal resource for anyone planning to build a course around themes of global travel, exploration, and colonialism." —Brett E. Whalen, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Communicating with Spirits
Communicating with Spirits

Author: Rita Berkowitz

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2021-10-12

Total Pages: 412

ISBN-13: 0744053552

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You know there's more to life than physical existence Life is a journey and physical birth and death are its points of transition. Many people across multiple cultures and faith systems believe that the spirit lives on--and have experienced contact with the spirits of loved ones who have passed to the higher side. This contact is joyous, comforting, and healing--but you wonder if it's actually real and whether you can share in it, too. This enlightening guide will show you exactly how to uncover your own mediumistic capabilities and connect with those no longer on your plane. In this new and improved edition, you'll find: Tips on how to connect with your divine energy through prayer, meditation, and dreams. Information on the birth of the human soul as perceived through multiple viewpoints. Exercises to help you develop your mediumistic abilities. Helpful ways to interpret and understand the symbolism of spiritual communication. Instruction on how to explore your past lives and to examine your aura Don't give up the spirit!