China Discovered America Long Before Columbus

Christopher Columbus is heralded as the discoverer of North America, which is an idea that can be argued against in so many ways it boggles my mind. Can you really be considered the discoverer of a place that already has millions of human inhabitants? Either way, new research shows that the Chinese were present in North America 70 years before Columbus would accidentally stumble upon it.

Gavin Menzies, a historian considered controversial for not adopting the mainstream school of thought about America’s discovery, claims that this map from 1418 proves that China’s Admiral Zheng He discovered America decades before Columbus.

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In his book, Menzies claims that his map was found in a used book store by Liu Gang in Beijing. As reported in the Daily Mail:

“The document, he says, is an 18th century copy of Admiral Zheng He’s 1417 map. Mr Menzies argues that it clearly shows North American rivers and coasts, as well as the continent of South America.