Anita, While this controversy is a sore issue here in Virginia (and therefore on this forum), a similar controversy over a book erupted on my American History forum when we read the book 1421, in which the author proposed that the Chinese may have "discovered" America before Columbus. Those who refused to admit there could have been others who preceded Columbus, shot holes in the book on the silliest grounds - editing problems, for example. They were adamant in insisting that if someone is going to refute what we've all been taught in school, they must have more prestige in the field of history than to be a mere retired navyman. What 1421 did was open my mind to other possibilities - perhaps the Chinese, perhaps the Basques, perhaps the Albans, perhaps the Russians, perhaps the Polenesians were the first non-Natives to view our continent. The only thing that is now certain, is that Columbus was the first to press with his "discovery"! Anne Anne Pemberton [log in to unmask] http://www.erols.com/apembert http://www.educationalsynthesis.org ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html