How Ptolemy's geography error made Asia seem closer to Columbus

A geography mistake helped convince Columbus that Asia was close

180° of Earth’s circumference

Ptolemy thought Europe and Asia stretched across 180° of Earth's circumference. This made the Atlantic seem much narrower than it really is and helped convince Christopher Columbus that he could reach Asia by sailing west.

Repeated word parts exposed Linear B’s grammar

Alice Kober noticed that words in the ancient script Linear B shared recurring beginnings and endings. Signs between them seemed to bridge the parts. She used these patterns to infer that the language changed word forms to show grammar, even before anyone knew what language it was.

A tsunami can hit a distant coast harder than a nearby one

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck Somalia harder than Bangladesh, even though Bangladesh was much closer to the earthquake. Tsunami waves do not spread evenly: coastlines, underwater geography, and the direction of wave energy all affect where destruction is greatest. Distance alone is a poor measure of safety.

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How Ptolemy's geography error made Asia seem closer to Columbus

A geography mistake helped convince Columbus that Asia was close

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