kennyrester on 14 June 2010
Actually that Amerigo Vespucci theory we all learned in school may not be true. Scholars now think it was named after a Welshman called John Amerike. From Wikipedia (and QI):
Summary:
- Amerike funded the earlier voyages of Bristol sailors to Newfoundland, beginning in 1479.
- Amerike was the chief sponsor of John Cabot's voyage to Newfoundland.
- In 1955, a letter was found in Spanish archives confirming the discoveries of Bristol sailors in Newfoundland before Columbus.
- Documents in Westminster Abbey indicate that Columbus knew of the Bristolmen's discoveries.
- Two extant versions of the Amerike family's coats of arms include stripes and one, stars and stripes; the older, horizontal, red stripes, and the latter, vertical, blue stripes with a band of stars.
Seems pretty convincing, but the most convincing bit, mentioned on the BBC TV show QI, is that countries were never named after their discoverer's first name unless they were monarchs or saints eg the Cook islands after captain cook, Bolivia after Simón de Bolivar and so on. In fact check out the wikipedia list of countries named after people. I don't think there's a single one named for a first name other than those of monarchs, saints and biblical characters. Completely and utterly off topic but interesting nonetheless.
