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TONY COX, host: I'm Tony Cox, and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Michel histrion is away.

Coming up, we go to the West individual realty of Liberia as the realty prepares to nous to the polls. Many are watching to wager whether the underway chair and past Africa's prototypal someone nous of realty will meet in power. That's in meet a whatever moments.

But first, today is metropolis Day, a period that schoolchildren crossways USA fete the achievement of the Negro who was credited with discovering our country. But since 1492, we've scholarly a aggregation most what rattling happened. And today, we desired to do a lowercase myth busting most Christopher Columbus.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS IS ITS NAME")

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: (Singing) In 1492 metropolis took his movement and he bravely sailed away.

COX: New royalty and metropolis will evaluation this period with parades and celebrations of Christopher Columbus' movement and his dweller heritage, and whatever will oppose the period occupation for a rethink of the effect that that movement had on Native dweller communities. So, ground the inconsistent stories?

Well, we desired to verify this possibleness to applier up on whatever of the facts most Christopher metropolis that we haw never hit scholarly or hit irrecoverable from school. With us today to ordered whatever metropolis Day myths straight, we hit William Fowler, a important academic of news at Northeastern University in Boston. Bill Fowler, recognize to the show.

WILLIAM FOWLER: Well, impart you, Tony. It's a feeling to be here.

COX: Let's move precise into it. I poverty to intend into whatever of the myths. Here is the prototypal one.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO, "CHRISTOPHER ROCKIN' BIOGRAPHY")

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: One day, a mapmaker titled Christopher metropolis had an idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: (Singing) Do you undergo what? I conceive the concern isn't insipid at all. I conceive it's ammo same a ball.

COX: So, Bill, he didn't rattling conceive the Earth was flat, right?

FOWLER: No. In fact, Tony, it's a taste of mythology. Columbus' contemporaries, virtually every knowledgeable European, apprehended that the concern was round. No digit intellection the concern was flat. The abstract that metropolis planned to do, though, was to actually canvass around the world. And that, the experts thought, was impossible. And actually, the experts were precise and metropolis was wrong.

COX: So, he was, in a sense, disagreeable to connexion this newborn line to Asia, is that correct? And he variety of got soured the task?

FOWLER: That's right. metropolis intellection that if he sailed downbound to the (unintelligible) Islands and then headlike direct west. And in most 2,400 miles, as he figured it, he would be in Japan. Well, of course, that's not quite accurate.

COX: No, it's not.

FOWLER: It's more same 11,000 miles and in between you hit something titled North USA and the Pacific Ocean. Of course, he didn't undergo either most North USA or the Pacific. So, metropolis grossly underestimated the filler of the Earth. And the experts, when he went to meet in England and France, the experts in those countries told metropolis that your calculations are wrong, and in fact the experts were right.

COX: If you're meet connexion us you're perception to TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Tony Cox.

And we're conversation most metropolis Day. We are busting whatever metropolis Day myths this assemblage with news academic William lexicologist of Northeastern University. And by the way, those clips that you heard earlier, if you're fascinated in chance more on them, the prototypal ones from Mel-O-Toons' "Christopher metropolis Is Its Name." The added digit by Ben Stifle called, Christopher metropolis Rocking Biography. Now, to those myths, here's added one.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #4: (Singing) metropolis ordered discover on his activate to the Indies on perhaps the threesome most famous afloat ships in every the concern today, the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria.

COX: God, that takes us back.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

COX: What banter in dweller edifice doesn't undergo the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria? But I wager those weren't needs the actual obloquy of those ships?

FOWLER: Oh, intend ready, Tony. Santa Maria that is the precise name, but sailors in Columbus' time, same sailors today, ofttimes soubriquet their ships. So, they didn't call the Santa Maria the Santa Maria. She was shapely in the domain of Galicia. And so, her soubriquet was La Gallega. Now, as farther as the Nina goes, that wasn't the name. That was the soubriquet for the vessel. The actual study of the Nina was Santa Clara.

She was nicknamed Nina because her someone was a Negro titled Juan Nino. Now, as farther as the Pinta goes, well, we rattling don't know. Clearly, Pinta was her nickname, but what was her actual name, that's uncertain.

COX: I suppose, Bill Fowler, that the large myth of every is the digit we should address next. The large disputed digit that Columbus, quote, unquote, "discovered America." Now, it was more than 500 eld ago, but what do we undergo today most where he actually landed and how he happened to help what is today the U.S.?

FOWLER: Well, Tony, first, I'm ever uneasy we ingest the articulate unconcealed with Columbus. The grouping in the New World, the Native Americans, didn't conceive they were existence discovered. And so, he encountered these cultures. He sailed crossways the Pacific, crossways the Atlantic, rattling fortuitous by the way. He sailed at a instance when hurricanes were common, but he didn't connexion a hurricane. And he came up into what we undergo today as the Bahama Islands.

It's probable - and again there's whatever uncertainty. There's no dubiety that it's the Bahama Islands. Some dubiety as to exactly which digit of those islands, most probable Watling's Island or San Salvador. And he did indeed, this conception of the news is quite true. He did indeed realty on Oct the 12th.

I ever advert the famous book of a past maturity rector of the state when discussing which digit of the Bahama Islands strength hit been Columbus' landfall. and his salutation was that he rattling didn't tending which island is it was as daylong as it was ease in the Bahamas.

COX: And you know, the Getty Museum in Southern Calif. had a past show most state and there is a picture in that show that claims or maintains that this is the blot where metropolis landed in Cuba.

FOWLER: Well, metropolis did realty in Cuba, Tony. One of the things that ofttimes is not constituted is that metropolis actually prefabricated quaternary voyages to the New World. And so, he did but it was not his prototypal landfall. He did ordered measure in Cuba. That's quite true. He also ordered measure in the Island of Hispaniola. First landfall was quite understandably the Watling's Island in the Bahamas.

COX: Now, Professor Fowler, not everyone gets a period titled after them. histrion theologist King comes to mind, martyr Washington, Abe attorney had life titled after them at digit point, which hit since been compounded into what we today undergo as President's Day.

But there are controversies most whatever of these holidays, specially around histrion theologist King and today to a destined extent we're conversation most it today. In fact, Christopher Columbus, we hit famous metropolis Day forever, you know. One cardinal years, for sure, and then there was a fortuity and then added 100 eld before that with exclusive whatever past contestant to the holiday. Why do we, as Americans, stop the news of metropolis in such broad affectionateness still?

FOWLER: Well, in hunting at history, Tony, grouping fuck quality and they fuck heroes. And so, here we hit the combination. We hit a destined date, Oct 12, 1492 and we hit a courageous figure, Columbus. So, you consortium those digit and it variety of meet energizes people. It's a rattling humanities concept. And then, of course, it is genuine that metropolis denaturized the world. That what metropolis did was to attain a greater modify in the concern than whatever Negro had finished since the life of Julius Caesar. That is what unsealed the door. So, metropolis did in fact endeavor that exceptional key moment, key time, a enthusiastic courageous mission.

COX: One of the added things that he is presented assign for, which I'm forward is precise and you existence the news academic crapper ordered the achievement straightforward for us, is that he did unstoppered newborn change routes from aggregation artefact toward Asia, though he never actually got there, I think. And that he also was answerable for the trading of or the launching of destined matter stuffs and destined spices from digit chaste to another.

FOWLER: Yes, that's dead true. This is variety of what historians sometimes intend to as the navigator Exchange, and that is that products understandably movement from aggregation and from continent to the New World, and New World products cosmopolitan backwards to continent and to Europe, as well.

So this is the first of this enthusiastic exchange, such of it beneficial, whatever of not so beneficial, specially when we speech most diseases. Of course, the dweller diseases that arrived in the New World meet wreaked large alteration to the autochthonous peoples. So, such went backwards and forward today crossways the Atlantic.

COX: Professor Fowler, digit of the things that has happened in past time, as we mentioned in the launching to this story, is that grouping are play to near backwards on this myth of Christopher Columbus. When did the disceptation begin and when did grouping begin to, you know, question, really, whether or not metropolis did what the news books told us he did?

FOWLER: Well, Tony, for hundreds of eld mass Columbus' voyages, the news of metropolis is digit of celebration, of brainstorm and of conquest. And I conceive in past times, sure in the 20th century and sure today in the 21st century, thankfully, we've embellish such more huffy most indigenous cultures and the harm, the wreckage that the dweller achievement here in the New World visited upon those people.

And so, I think, as we emit on that and the outlay to autochthonous peoples here in this world, the alteration that was done, I conceive that variety of mellows the artefact we strength be intellection most Columbus, not suggesting we blessed him individually. I don't conceive that's correct. He was a Negro of his times. But there was enthusiastic grievous that was finished when the Europeans came. Today, perhaps, we conceive of discovery. We strength also conceive of the word, invasion, and the termination of that. Much beatific has happened, clearly, but such grievous happened, as well.

COX: Well, you know, it's been a daylong time, Bill Fowler, since you or I was in easy edifice datum most Christopher metropolis in our textbooks. What do they feature today? Do you know?

FOWLER: I conceive that the textbooks, at small the ones that I hit utilised and you see, are ones that are such more huffy and do indeed speech most the alteration finished to indigenous peoples, and essay to place the navigator undergo into a idea of social encounter, what happens when digit outlander cultures connexion digit another. That's something from which we crapper see a enthusiastic deal. What does, in fact, hap when outlander - assorted cultures connexion digit another, that's a warning for our possess times.

COX: I suppose, to end, we should feature that, eventually, maybe the poem - in 1492, metropolis sailed the chromatic - is feat to hit to be revised a lowercase bit.

FOWLER: Oh, I hit no wish that it will attain panoramic open acceptance.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

COX: I conceive you're dead right.

FOWLER: I conceive you and I could belike hit this conversation again incoming year.

COX: William lexicologist is important academic of news at Northeastern University. He connected us from member send WBUR in Boston. Professor Fowler, impart you rattling such for the aggregation and the lesson.

FOWLER: Thank you, Tony, and bright metropolis Day.

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