I'm sure all of you have heard that Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover the Americas. Of course this isn't really true as Leif Erikson discovered it around the year 1000 AD, the only difference was it stayed discovered after Columbus. This of course has made him an important figure historically.
He sailed from Spain in 1492 with a caravan of three ships. The Nina and Pinta were smaller ships and the Santa Maria was a larger ship that Columbus personally captained. After a stop in the Canary Islands for supplies they sailed west and five weeks later first discovered the Bahamas. From there they sailed onto Cuba and eventually Hispanola where the Santa Maria ran aground and was abandoned on Dec. 25, 1492. Quite a Christmas present for Columbus!
With the remaining two ships he returned to Spain after enslaving several natives and the rest is history. In 1892 Chicago was preparing for the World's Fair for which they had been selected. They named it the World's Columbian Exposition and the United States Mint produced coins in 1892 and 1893 to commemorate the event celebrating 450 years since Columbus had first arrived in the Americas. This is one of those coins produced in 1892 with Columbus on the obverse and the Santa Maria on the reverse. Have a look:
About the coin:
From numista.com
It's a well designed coin that was meant to be a collectible item but many were also released into circulation or later melted down since they are 90% silver. In 1892 they minted 950,000 of the coins so they aren't real hard to come by and are a great addition for any collectors or silver stacker. I believe @silversaver888 has one of these in her amazing collection as well!
Just as interesting item I found a replica of the Santa Maria so you can get an idea of the size of the ship Columbus had commanded and eventually run aground. It wasn't a giant boat and I can't imagine sailing through storms wouldn't have been very pleasant!
explorebeaufortsc.com
Replica of the Santa Maria
Today Columbus is vilified by many and still honored by others. He never did reach India which he had hoped but opened up two new continents to the Europeans to conquer and pillage. But it set in motion the history of the world as we know it today making Columbus one of the most notable people in world history.
And since it is the middle of winter in the those snow drenched lands north of the equator I only though it fitting to share some nice shots of the Bahamas since they were the first land Columbus discovered.
au.hotels.com
thenomadvisor.com
I can already see myself right there on the beach drinking a Corona...
If that doesn't get the travel bug started I don't know what else will... I do miss living in the Caribbean. Just ask our friend @davedickeyyall who lives in Puerto Rico how warm it is today. I hope you enjoyed my post today, if you have any suggestions, questions, or comments please feel free to leave them below. Thanks for stopping by and for all of your support!
P.S. And since I am posting in the #freecompliments community I just wanted to remind everyone to take some time today to be kind. A little kindness can make a huge difference in someone's life. Please check out the community and consider joining us!
And my disclaimer:
Gold and silver collecting and stacking can be a fun hobby but isn't for everyone. You can lose money. I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice, please always do your own research before spending your hard earned money.
All pictures are mine unless otherwise noted.
References:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces4396.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Erikson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Columbian_Exposition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus#Voyages
Re-blog lottery
Now for the winner of the re-blog lottery! Today we had 25 people who re-blogged my post, thank you so much! The people who re-blogged were:
@bitandi
@blitzzzz
@bulliontools
@caleb-marvel
@esbat
@evih
@flaxz.alive
@florakese
@geneeverett
@henruc
@hjrrodriguez
@irvet
@kerrislravenhill
@kunschj
@ladymisa
@maurojd
@mirroredspork
@monsterbuster
@olaf.gui
@screamheart
@servelle
@stekene
@vaynard86
@vrezion
@vrezyy
Voluntary daily reminder list for those who request to be on it: @ganjafarmer and @sayury
If you want to be added to the list as well just feel free to ask!
Thank you everyone! I have been working to improve my engagement and all of you have really helped out! If you have any recommendations or suggestions please feel free to let me know. I'm always looking to improve my posts.
Good luck to everyone!
And the Wheel of Names results:
Winner #1:
Winner #2:
Congratulations @bitandi you have won three HSBI units!
Congratulations @bulliontools you have won two HSBI units!
Now for today's re-blog lottery! You just need to re-blog my post you will be placed on the Wheel of Names for a spin to possibly win up to 5 HSBI units! New twist, one winner on the first spin wins 3 HSBI, and a second spin for a chance for 2 HSBI, so two possible winners or one really lucky one could win both spins! An upvote is not required but is always greatly appreciated. Bots aren't allowed to win the prizes. Contest ends at 14:00 (2 PM) California Pacific time tomorrow. If I somehow missed your re-blog please let me know and I'll add you to the next draw.
What are HSBI units? They are units that you can purchase to sponsor someone and you in turn receive a unit as well. This way we both benefit! They give you occasional upvotes on your posts for a lifetime, and the more you accumulate the more often you receive upvotes and the bigger they can be. You can read some more here:
https://hive.blog/hive-189312/@steembasicincome/hive-sbi
If you have more questions feel free to ask.