America
America
Who discovered America over the centuries though Columbus got credit in 1492.
Read about the different peoples and cultures who found this continent.
Read about the different peoples and cultures who found this continent.
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Silence Do-Good or Ben Franklin
07/06/25 08:31 Filed in: History
Oh, how little do we know about the famous and historical figures. Read this about Ben Franklin.
"Among all the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin had the most interesting extracurricular activities. Before he studied electricity or invented bifocals, America’s first postmaster general had a habit of writing essays for his brother’s Boston newspaper under the pseudonym “Silence Dogood.” The 16-year-old posed as a widow because the writing he submitted under his own name was rejected by the New-England Courant, which his older brother James published. Silence had much to say about a variety of subjects, with her commentary touching on such subjects as religion and politics, and she was an instant hit with the weekly paper’s readers — she even received marriage proposals.
Fourteen of these essays were published beginning in 1722, but all good things must come to an end. After slipping Silence’s correspondence under the Courant’s door for several months, Franklin eventually revealed his true identity. His brother was none too pleased with this deception, having warned the younger Franklin against growing too vain in the wake of the essays’ warm reception, and the fallout played a part in Franklin’s departure for Philadelphia — the city where he lived for the rest of his life."
"Among all the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin had the most interesting extracurricular activities. Before he studied electricity or invented bifocals, America’s first postmaster general had a habit of writing essays for his brother’s Boston newspaper under the pseudonym “Silence Dogood.” The 16-year-old posed as a widow because the writing he submitted under his own name was rejected by the New-England Courant, which his older brother James published. Silence had much to say about a variety of subjects, with her commentary touching on such subjects as religion and politics, and she was an instant hit with the weekly paper’s readers — she even received marriage proposals.
Fourteen of these essays were published beginning in 1722, but all good things must come to an end. After slipping Silence’s correspondence under the Courant’s door for several months, Franklin eventually revealed his true identity. His brother was none too pleased with this deception, having warned the younger Franklin against growing too vain in the wake of the essays’ warm reception, and the fallout played a part in Franklin’s departure for Philadelphia — the city where he lived for the rest of his life."
First Humans on the Continent
30/05/25 14:29 Filed in: History
"The very first humans emerged in Africa, and migrated from there to regions around the world. The exact date they first walked in the Americas is a long-standing open question, the answer to which continues to evolve as advances in archaeology and DNA analysis shed more light on the subject. During the second half of the 20th century, many archaeologists favored the “Clovis-first” theory, which argued that the prehistoric Clovis people were the first to reach the Americas, about 11,500 to 13,000 years ago. It was believed they crossed a land bridge — known as Beringia — linking Siberia to Alaska during the last ice age. This bridge then disappeared underwater as the ice melted, leaving the Clovis culture to roam North America — a land never before occupied by humankind.
More recent archaeological discoveries, however, have dramatically pushed back the timeline of human habitation on the continent. In 2021, archaeologists discovered human footprints in mud in what is now New Mexico, and dated the prints to between 21,000 and 23,000 years old. Research by an international team at the University of Oxford, meanwhile, suggests that the earliest humans arrived on the continent 30,000 years ago — and that rather than crossing a land bridge, they came by sea. The debate is ongoing, and tantalizing evidence of pre-Clovis cultures continues to be accumulated."
More recent archaeological discoveries, however, have dramatically pushed back the timeline of human habitation on the continent. In 2021, archaeologists discovered human footprints in mud in what is now New Mexico, and dated the prints to between 21,000 and 23,000 years old. Research by an international team at the University of Oxford, meanwhile, suggests that the earliest humans arrived on the continent 30,000 years ago — and that rather than crossing a land bridge, they came by sea. The debate is ongoing, and tantalizing evidence of pre-Clovis cultures continues to be accumulated."
