OCR Text |
Show Leading Facts About America As we approach the 200th birthday of this great nation, let us pause and reflect on a few leading facts that led to the discovery and naming of America. At one time the earth was generally believed to be flat, to be much smaller than it really is and habitable on its upper side only. Long before Columbus was born, storm driven sailors had discovered the Canaries and Azores. It is recorded in history books that North- men visited our shores as early as the year 1000, but their discovery led to nothing. noth-ing. Columbus had a deep desire de-sire to explore, he believed that God had chosen him to go out as a missionary to far off islands. He believed that the earth was not flat, but a globe. So with the help of Queen Isabella of Spain, he set out on a journey, that in 1492 brought him not to India as he has thought, but to a new land, later called America." |