Slow FTL Societies

[scc]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Not really, the size of the Earth had been known for 1700 years by then, so they would have likely just thought it failed because there was nothing there. Anyway, they would have had other concerns, as the Crown of Aragon was in conflict with France over Italy. It was only a decade later, when the gold and silver started pouring in from their conquests and the explorers started mapping north and south, that the Spanish began to realize that they had won th greatest prize in history.

Well apart from the fact that Columbus's pitch apparently included/relied upon the Earth being 20% smaller then it is and that it's shaped like a pear.

[jeff_wilson]

Maybe the Vinlanders didn't properly understand map projections.

[acrosome]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

And if he failed to return, chances are the Spanish would have sent a slightly better stocked trio of ships a few years later because they still wanted their passage to China and India without dealing with the Portuguese. Columbus was just lucky enough to spot land when he did. :)

Like I said, stubborn idiots throwing good money after bad until it works. :) At which point we proclaim genius.

I recall watching a documentary where the court was discussing Columbus's proposal after speaking with him. The crux of the discussion was "this guy's an idiot, but for a rather low cost (outfitting three small, decrepit ships and a few more idiots to crew them) it could be a potentially immense payoff, so even though the likelihood of that payoff is small it's a decent bet."

[AlexanderHowl]

Which suggests that the Spanish would have not tried again anytime soon if he had not come back. It would have like then been the Portuguese, English, French, or (remote possibility) the Scottish that would have discovered the Americas. Hm, more on that later...