3.2.04
Book Reviews - 1421 - The Year China Discovered the World
Title: 1421 - The Year China Discovered the World
Pages: 408 + 112 pages appendices, bibliographies, indexes (hardcover)
Read time: 20 hours
Style: non-fiction, investigative science/history, highly detailed
Author: Gavin Menzies
The links above give the standard description of the book and the ongoing investigation. 1421 is an excellent descriptive history of the Chinese and their discovery of the world throughout the 1420s. There are currently 34 different lines of evidence confirming that the Chinese did discover the New World and much of the rest of the world before the Europeans even started their exploration. In fact, it argues that the fact that the Europeans set off to explore was in part due to the body of maps, boat design and other tools provided by the Chinese during the voyages of the junkers in the so-called Treasure Fleets.
Why have we been teaching the history of European colonization of the New World, rather than the Chinese discovery of the world? During the voyages of the Chinese Fleets, China fell into an era of isolation, superstition and xenophobia. All scientific information was left to rot or deterministically destroyed. Little historical evidence survived in China. The information and artifacts spread by the fleets themselves fell into other hands or were claimed to be the works of the Europeans. China did not revive itself from its 'long night of isolation' until the modern era leaving the Europeans to claim their victories.
As the author states:
Brave and determined though they were, Columbus, Dias, da Gama, Magellan, Cook and the rest of the European explorers set sail with maps showing the way to their destinations. They owed everything to the first explorers, the Chinese on their epic voyages of 1421-3 [including] the charts, ships and systems of ocean navigation. [...] The revelation that Vasco da Gama was not the first to sail to India around the Cape of Good Hope, that Christopher Columbus did not discover America, that Magellan was not the first to circumnavigate the world, and that Australia was surveyed three centruies before Captain Cook and Antartica four centuries before the first European even attempt may come as a disappointment, even a shock, to the champions of those brave and skilful explorers..."
Book Review Annotation
Pages: 408 + 112 pages appendices, bibliographies, indexes (hardcover)
Read time: 20 hours
Style: non-fiction, investigative science/history, highly detailed
Author: Gavin Menzies
The links above give the standard description of the book and the ongoing investigation. 1421 is an excellent descriptive history of the Chinese and their discovery of the world throughout the 1420s. There are currently 34 different lines of evidence confirming that the Chinese did discover the New World and much of the rest of the world before the Europeans even started their exploration. In fact, it argues that the fact that the Europeans set off to explore was in part due to the body of maps, boat design and other tools provided by the Chinese during the voyages of the junkers in the so-called Treasure Fleets.
Why have we been teaching the history of European colonization of the New World, rather than the Chinese discovery of the world? During the voyages of the Chinese Fleets, China fell into an era of isolation, superstition and xenophobia. All scientific information was left to rot or deterministically destroyed. Little historical evidence survived in China. The information and artifacts spread by the fleets themselves fell into other hands or were claimed to be the works of the Europeans. China did not revive itself from its 'long night of isolation' until the modern era leaving the Europeans to claim their victories.
As the author states:
Brave and determined though they were, Columbus, Dias, da Gama, Magellan, Cook and the rest of the European explorers set sail with maps showing the way to their destinations. They owed everything to the first explorers, the Chinese on their epic voyages of 1421-3 [including] the charts, ships and systems of ocean navigation. [...] The revelation that Vasco da Gama was not the first to sail to India around the Cape of Good Hope, that Christopher Columbus did not discover America, that Magellan was not the first to circumnavigate the world, and that Australia was surveyed three centruies before Captain Cook and Antartica four centuries before the first European even attempt may come as a disappointment, even a shock, to the champions of those brave and skilful explorers..."
Book Review Annotation
1.2.04
So we're on Mars - what's the big deal?
Much of the scientific world has been preoccupied for the last several months with our nextdoor neighbour, the red planet. Mars has excited the explorer's grey matter ever since the first astronomers started looking into the night sky. Of course, Galileo Galilei with his revolutionary telescope (though not the first) expanded the viewpoint of the scientific community by giving them a close look at the planets and moons surfaces for the first time. Want to learn more about the history of observation and exploration? Here is an outstanding reference.
So after several hundred years and hundreds of millions of dollars, we may be able to discover distinctive proof of water on Mars via the two explorers currently sending back photos over the thousands of miles of near vacuum.
So is the money and time spent really worth it? It is unlikely that we will be sending Homo Sapiens to Mars anytime soon - much like 'Major Tom' there will be many more people floating in their capsules before a succesful attempt at our next neighbour.
The scientific community revolts at every penny taken away from interplanetary exploration or other such pursuits - while it is true that we need to try to succeed, few would dare argue that solving the world's issues with human deprivation should take a back seat. But many will try to hide behind the pretense that nothing can be achieved without world concensus via our politicians - and so they sigh and head back to their telescopes. For human suffering is nothing like discovering a new star.
Well, enough philosophy for tonight...sigh...wow, look at those stars...
Sunset over Mars - Mars Pathfinder
Windows to the Universe
So after several hundred years and hundreds of millions of dollars, we may be able to discover distinctive proof of water on Mars via the two explorers currently sending back photos over the thousands of miles of near vacuum.
So is the money and time spent really worth it? It is unlikely that we will be sending Homo Sapiens to Mars anytime soon - much like 'Major Tom' there will be many more people floating in their capsules before a succesful attempt at our next neighbour.
The scientific community revolts at every penny taken away from interplanetary exploration or other such pursuits - while it is true that we need to try to succeed, few would dare argue that solving the world's issues with human deprivation should take a back seat. But many will try to hide behind the pretense that nothing can be achieved without world concensus via our politicians - and so they sigh and head back to their telescopes. For human suffering is nothing like discovering a new star.
Well, enough philosophy for tonight...sigh...wow, look at those stars...
Sunset over Mars - Mars Pathfinder
Windows to the Universe
