Tomorrow, October 12, is Columbus Day, the anniversary of the day on which Christopher Columbus - exploring on behalf of the Spanish crown - first set foot on the soil of the Western Hemisphere. His discovery of these two continents began their integration into the world community, which already included Asia, Europe, and Africa.
It has become fashionable to view Columbus as a despoiler, a bad man. It is a fashion which I pointedly disavow, I honor his accomplishment.
At a time when the earth was not universally viewed as roughly spherical, it took enormous courage and leadership to sail west into a seemingly limitless ocean in hopes of reaching Asia and its spices. A route to Asia he did not discover, although others eventually would.
What he did discover has been of immense importance: two large, rich continents with wildly diverse climates, terrains, and natural riches. Both were lightly populated with Neolithic peoples, some of whom were agriculturalists, many were hunter-gatherers.
