Chinese Trading Vessel in the eastern Pacific.

Who
Was on
First?*

Pre-Columbian
Explorers of America
Are Many and Varied.

Dr. Ronald Fritze

"Of course America had often been discovered before Columbus but it had always been hushed up."

— Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde, the Anglo-Irish wit, lived in the second half of the nineteenth century. We remember him as the author of The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Importance of Being Earnest. Like many British writers, Wilde visited the United States to give lectures and hopefully generate some income through these public appearances. Also, like many British writers, Wilde had a love-hate relationship with America and Americans. In Wilde's case, it was more love than hate (but how could it be otherwise with an Irishman?) whereas in Charles Dickens's case, it was more hate than love. What Wilde's quote nicely illustrates is the disputed nature of Columbus's voyage of exploration in 1492.

If one looks at the vast literature dealing with pre-Columbian exploration, instead of asking who discovered America before Columbus, the question almost becomes who did not discover America before Columbus?

Secrets, Treasures, the Holy Grail.

The two volumes of the revised second edition of Pre-Columbian Contact with the Americas across the Oceans: An Annotated Bibliography by John L. Sorenson and Martin Raish, (Provo, Utah: Research Press, 1996) lists thousands of books and articles dealing with pre-Columbian visitors to the Americas. Hundreds more have been published since 1996. Fans of Da Vinci Code style lore are probably aware that several recent books chronicle supposed Templar voyages to the Americas to hide the Holy Grail or some other secret or treasure.

It is not a new theory.

But then, neither is Gavin Menzies's contention in his best-selling 1421: The Year China Discovered America (2002).

Several theories suggest that the Chinese had reached the Americas on different occasions from the time of the First Emperor onward. In fact, Menzies's theory that elements of Admiral Cheng Ho's fleet explored most of the world is not really new either. Others, such as the great historian of Chinese science Joseph Needham, had earlier speculated about similar Chinese voyages of exploration.

Every Nook and Cranny? Not Quite.

Where Menzies stands out is in the scope he suggests for the Chinese voyages. If Menzies is right, the Chinese explored every nook and cranny of the oceans of the world except the Atlantic coast of Western Europe and North Africa and the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. No one would dispute that Chinese fleets visited all the major areas and cities of the world of the Indian Ocean, including Mecca. Islamic sources from that region record the Chinese visits. But it is a bit strange that in their voyages on the oceans the Chinese managed to miss out on contacting the one group of literate cultures that could have provided indubitable documentary proof for these vast Chinese expeditions.

Of course, Menzies also suggests that a Chinese fleet managed to round Greenland to the north and than sail the route of the legendary Northeast Passage and out the Bering Strait back into the Pacific Ocean. If this were true, the Chinese shipbuilders and seamen of the early fifteenth century did far better than Fridtjof Nansen in his voyage of 1893-1896 utilizing a specially built iron-ship. That circumstance along with the highly ambiguous and problematic nature of the evidence that Menzies does present seriously calls his theory into question.

Did people reach the Americas before Columbus? Yes, they most certainly did.

Indians and Norsemen.

Obviously the most important group was the ancestors of the Indians living in the Americas in 1492. They were the first Americans, although how and when they arrived is also a contentious issue among scholars and writers. But the Indians were not the only ones. Norseman also definitely reached the Americas. Besides the testimony of the Norse sagas, archaeological research has discovered the site of a Norse camp on Newfoundland. It may even be the very settlement associated with Leif Erikson.

Beyond the Norse, the evidence for explorations by other groups visiting the Americas before 1492 becomes more murky and contentious.

Columbus's voyage to America in 1492 is an important moment in the history of the world. In spite of his denials, Columbus had discovered hitherto unknown lands in the west. His voyage and the voyage of Vasco da Gama made the world one. It is undoubtedly true that if Columbus had not done it, someone would have soon after he did. Perhaps, if there had been no Columbus, our studies in HIST 4391/5391 would instead be focusing on John Cabot or another intrepid explorer. Making the world one was a stupendous change for humanity and it took centuries to work out its effects. In many ways, we are still working out its effects.

 
* With apologies to Abbott and Costello.
 R E T U R N   T O   T O P

P O S T S C R I P T :    By the way, if you have read this far, here is a challenge. Find the source for the quote from Oscar Wilde at the beginning of this essay and we will talk about a bit of extra credit for your efforts. Which of Wilde's works contains the quote? Is it from one of his speeches, or a private letter, or what? Let me warn you, I don't know where the quote comes from. I have tried to research the source for a couple of hours at a time on three occasions. The most recent attempt was yesterday and today [16 and 17 January, 2005]. I thought I finally had it but I was wrong. Happy hunting and be sure to bring me a citation to a printed source. Something on a website with no indication of the source is not sufficient. The Internet did not exist in Wilde's day; Al Gore had not invented it yet. Let's see if any of you can do better than Professor Fritze and win extra credit points. Those points go only to the first person to reach the goal.

PLANET CLIO is ruled by Dr. Ronald Fritze,
Professor of History at the University of Central Arkansas.
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