British Author claims the Chinese, not Columbus, found America First

That sounds very interesting. Let me know if it's good or not. I can't read the fine print in books any more (blurry eyes), but my baby son would be interested.

Who cares? Whether you make a case for the Irish St Brendan and his brother monks or the Vikings or the Chinese...or even the ancient Phoeniceans, it makes no difference. Christopher Columbus was the only one who went back and told everybody what he found. He'll always get the nod from me. (It frosts my Knights of Columbus butt anytime someone tries to steal his glory)

That sounds very interesting. Let me know if it's good or not. I can't read the fine print in books any more (blurry eyes), but my baby son would be interested.

I guess they just didn't make much of an impression.

Excerpt from an article:

Early Crossings:
Scientists Debate Who Sailed to the New World First At least two scholars believe Asians traveled by boat to New World long before Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Yet another anthropologist recently said water travel permitted Australian aborigines to reach South America more than 11,000 years ago. These controversial theories have academics debating and individuals wondering if the Pacific Ocean was a superhighway, instead of a barrier, to the New World. By Land or By Sea? The traditional theory on early migration to the Americas says much of the northern hemisphere was covered in ice sheets until glaciers began to break up and sea levels fell about 12,000 to 13,000 years ago. At this time, a land bridge was thought to have formed over the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska. Asian hunters tracking big game crossed the bridge in search of dinner. Some, according to the theory, liked their new environs so much they decided to stay. A 1997 study published by the National Academy of Sciences appears to support the fact that the New World’s first migrants came from Asia. Researchers studied Native Americans from the Navajo, Chamorro and Flathead tribes and determined that all three groups possess a unique type of retrovirus gene, JCV, found only in China and Japan. After the land bridge migration, current dogma teaches that Asia had no further contact with the Americas until the early 1800s, when shipping records prove a handful of immigrants and visitors began to arrive. Striking Similarities But Michael Xu, assistant professor of Chinese Studies at Texas Christian University, is among those who theorize that China had further contact with the Americas before the early 19th century. This jade celt is among those excavated at La Venta, Tabasco, Mexico in 1955 and attributed to the Olmec. The striking similarities between the Olmec and Chinese Shang Dynasty symbols suggest that Chinese may have traveled to the Americas by boat well before the early 19th century. (Photo: Krantz & Martinez/Journal of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences) While excavating Mesoamerican sites in the American Southwest and Central America, Xu discovered jade, stone and pottery artifacts attributed to the Olmec, believed to be ancestors of the Maya. Artistic motifs on the objects bear an extraordinary resemblance to Chinese bone inscriptions from the Shang dynasty, about 1600 to 1100 B.C. Symbols for agriculture, astronomy, rain, religion, sacrifice, sky, sun, trees and water are nearly identical, according to a report published in the current issue of the Quarterly Journal of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. “When I first brought my artifacts from the Americas to China, scholars there thought that I just had more samples of Shang writing,” Xu says. “The similarities are that striking.” Colonization was not a Chinese priority, according to Xu, which could explain why other aspects of Chinese culture did not spread to the Americas — and why North Americans aren’t speaking Chinese. Pacific Superhighway Betty Meggers, a research archaeologist at the Smithsonian Institution, thinks Asian contact goes back even further, to 5,000 years ago. She has identified compelling similarities between pottery found at a site called Valdivia in Ecuador to pottery from the Jomon period in Japan. Both Meggers and Xu say they believe natural Pacific water flows, such as the Kuroshio from Japan and the Black Current from China, transported boats to the New World. Meggers theorizes that Asians have traveled to and from the Americas for thousands of years. While there is no direct evidence for regular trade or foreign settlements, Meggers points to other signs of contact, such as similarities between Mayan and southeast Asian pyramids. It is unclear when, or if, the contact ended, but she says, “Ancient man saw the ocean as a superhighway and not as a barrier.” Aborigines As Well A team of Rio anthropologists also believes early water travel to the Americas was possible. As evidence they point to an 11,500-year-old skull, found in Brazil, which they say belonged to a woman of African or Aboriginal descent. Digital computer imaging last month revealed she had round eyes, a large nose and a pronounced chin — features characteristic of ancient Africans and Aborigines. Ventura Santos, a researcher at Rio’s National Museum and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, who led the study, suggests the woman had ancestors related to Australian aborigines who boated across the northern Pacific 15,000 years ago. John Johnson, curator of anthropology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, is skeptical about the Brazilian skull’s history, and he says he doubts boats at that time could withstand long journeys. But, he says, shorter boat trips along the Pacific coastline seem plausible. Earlier this year, Johnson used radiocarbon dating to determine that the remains of a skeleton, called Arlington Springs Woman, found on Santa Rosa Island, across the Santa Barbara Channel, were 13,000 years old. “The channel was five to six miles wide then, so I doubt she swam across,” Johnson says. “Some sort of water craft must have been used.” DNA May Offer Key Despite such tantalizing evidence as the Arlington Woman or Xu’s Mesoamerican artifacts, it is difficult to prove anyone traveled by water thousands of years ago. Early boats were probably made from wood, reeds and other plant materials that decay easily. DNA analysis, however, may soon provide the concrete evidence many scholars seek. Johnson hopes to perform DNA research on the Arlington Springs Woman within the next several months, and other related studies are sure to follow. One, or more, of these reports could reveal what traffic was like on “the Pacific Ocean superhighway” thousands of years ago. Independent Invention Anthropologists who believe the earliest Asian migrants arrived in the New World solely by land, and not by sea, generally attribute cultural similarities between ancient artifacts from the Americas and Asian objects from the same time period to independent invention. David Grove, professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, says, “Humans independently invent things. It is possible that the Olmec created pottery with artistic motifs nearly identical to Shang inscriptions at around the same time with no outside influence.” Garman Harbottle, senior scientist emeritus at Brookhaven National Laboratory, agrees. During a recent China excavation, Harbottle saw four-legged corn grindstones with rubbing stones that are identical to tools found in South America. “You could take the Chinese one, bury it in Guatemala, and no one would know the difference,” he says, adding that the same holds true for certain turquoise and jade work. Whether ancient great minds thought alike or water travel made idea sharing between cultures possible, one fact remains clear: People the world over have more in common than they probably realize.

Back in the early 1960's I had a book titled THEY ALL DISCOVERED AMERICA. I don't remember the author's name. It was about the various explorers of the ancient past who found the American continent way before Columbus.
In the late 1960's another book was written claiming that America was discovered by---the lost Asian fleet of Alexander the Great.

Archaeologists found this statue in Olmec Ruins.

"Let me know if it's good or not. "

Okay.

I wonder if the landbridge theory will stand?

They came prematurely to build railroads and operate laundries.

ohhh, that's ok... the vikings beat everyone to it, except for the nomads who became the American Indians.

lat I heard, the redheaded mummies are only about 2000 years old.
I do recall seeing comparative mythology studies showing some odd coincidences among diverse and widely scattered peoples - one of which being a high incidence of tales of "magical" pale, tall, red-headed people.

I want to know about that wierd stone structure sunken off the coast of Japan...

what, the Queen Maude Land thing?

"lat I heard, the redheaded mummies are only about 2000 years old. "

The ones we are the most familiar with , Cherchen Man and The Beauty Of Loulan are 3,000 years old and many others are 4,000 years old. The Tarim Mummies by Victor Mair.

"I want to know about that wierd stone structure sunken off the coast of Japan..."

Natural structures. Geologist Dr. Robert Schoch said that they may have been 'tampered' with by humans before they went underwater but, not likely.

Hi blam
A good article...I learned a bit here..

The Orientals got on..like an escalator....they probably learned when to leave..and when to return..then the knowledge was lost.

Surface Ocean Currents
An ocean current can be defined as a horizontal movement of seawater at the ocean's surface. Ocean currents are driven by the circulation of wind above surface waters. Frictional stress at the interface between the ocean and the wind causes the water to move in the direction of the wind. Large ocean currents are a response of the atmosphere and ocean to the flow of energy from the tropics to polar regions. In some cases, currents are transient features and affect only a small area. Other ocean currents are essentially permanent and extend over large horizontal distances. On a global scale, large ocean currents are constrained by the continental masses found bordering the three oceanic basins. Continental borders cause these currents to develop an almost closed circular pattern called a gyre. Each ocean basin has a large gyre located at approximately 30 degrees North and South latitude in the subtropical regions. The currents in these gyres are driven by the atmospheric flow produced by the subtropical high pressure systems. Smaller gyres occur in the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans centered at 50 degrees North. Currents in these systems are propelled by the circulation produced by polar low pressure centers. In the Southern Hemisphere, these gyre systems do not develop because of the lack of constraining land masses. A typical gyre displays four types of joined currents: two east-west aligned currents found respectively at the top and bottom ends of the gyre; and two boundary currents oriented north-south and flowing parallel to the continental margins. Direction of flow within these currents is determined by the direction of the macro-scale wind circulation. Boundary currents play a role in redistributing global heat latitudinally. Surface Currents of the Subtropical Gyres On either side of the equator, in all ocean basins, there are two west flowing currents: the North and South Equatorial (Figure 8q-1). These currents flow between 3 and 6 kilometers per day and usually extend 100 to 200 meters in depth below the ocean surface. The Equatorial Counter Current, which flows towards the east, is a partial return of water carried westward by the North and South Equatorial currents. In El Nino years, this current intensifies in the Pacific Ocean. Flowing from the equator to high latitudes are the western boundary currents. These warm water currents have specific names associated with their location: North Atlantic - Gulf Stream; North Pacific - Kuroshio; South Atlantic - Brazil; South Pacific - East Australia; and Indian Ocean - Agulhas. All of these currents are generally narrow, jet like flows that travel at speeds between 40 and 120 kilometers per day. Western boundary currents are the deepest ocean surface flows, usually extending 1000 meters below the ocean surface. Flowing from high latitudes to the equator are the eastern boundary currents. These cold water currents also have specific names associated with their location: North Atlantic - Canary; North Pacific - California; South Atlantic - Benguela; South Pacific - Peru; and Indian Ocean - West Australia. All of these currents are generally broad, shallow moving flows that travel at speeds between 3 and 7 kilometers per day. In the Northern Hemisphere, the east flowing North Pacific Current and North Atlantic Drift move the waters of western boundary currents to the starting points of the eastern boundary currents. The South Pacific Current, South Indian Current and South Atlantic Current provide the same function in the Southern Hemisphere. These currents are associated with the Antarctic Circumpolar (West Wind Drift). Because of the absence of landmass at this latitude zone, the Antarctic Circumpolar flows in continuous fashion around Antarctica and only provides a partial return of water to the three Southern Hemispheric ocean basins. Surface Currents of the Polar Gyres The polar gyres exist only in the Atlantic and Pacific basins in Northern Hemisphere. They are propelled by the counterclockwise winds associated with the development of permanent low pressure centers at 50 degrees of latitude over the ocean basins. Note that the bottom west flowing current of the polar gyres is the topmost flowing current of the subtropical gyres. Other currents associated with these gyres are shown on Figure 8q-1. Subsurface Currents The world's oceans also have significant currents that flow beneath the surface (Figure 8q-2). Subsurface currents generally travel at a much slower speed when compared to surface flows. The subsurface currents are driven by differences in the density of seawater. The density of seawater deviates in the oceans because of variations in temperature and salinity. Near surface seawater begins its travel deep into the ocean in the North Atlantic. The downwelling of this water is caused by high levels of evaporation which cools and increases the salinity of the seawater located here. This seawater then moves south along the coast of North and South America until it reaches Antarctica. At Antarctica, the cold and dense seawater then travels eastward. During this part of its voyage the flow splits off into two currents that move northward. In the North Pacific (off the coast of Asia) and in the Indian Ocean (off the coast of Africa), these two currents move from the ocean floor to its surface creating upwellings. The flow then becomes near surface moving back to the starting point in the North Atlantic. One complete circuit of this flow of seawater is estimated to take about 1,000 years.

Jade

Possibly one of the longest relationships between man and a gemstone would have to be with Jade. Early man utilized it as a tool, a body adornment, and a form of protection. It was easily fashioned into blades, axes, amulets, vessels and since it was relatively tough it held up very well. Eventually man held it in such high regard that it gained a status of supreme cult gem and was utilized to honor and praise various gods.

Two gemstones bear the name jade: nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite, first known as yu, was treasured by the Chinese for centuries. Its current name, and the word "jade," both came from the Europeans via the Spanish conquistadors who invaded South America. Like the Chinese, the South Americans, especially the Aztecs, valued a particular green stone above all else, even gold. Also like the Chinese, they attributed healing powers to that stone. They often used their green gem to relieve urinary ailments. Because of this, the Spanish referred to it as the "stone of the loins" or sometimes, "stone of the kidneys." Nephrite is derived from the Latin word for kidney, and jade is a corruption of the French word for loins.

Recently in Guatemala a huge discovery was made of Blue Jade. scientists exploring the wilds of Guatemala say they have found the mother lode — a mountainous region roughly the size of Rhode Island strewn with huge jade boulders, other rocky treasures and signs of ancient mining. It was discovered after a hurricane tore through the landscape and exposed the veins of jade, some of which turned up in stores, arousing the curiosity of scientists.

The find includes large outcroppings of blue jade, the gemstone of the Olmecs, the mysterious people who created the first complex culture in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, the region that encompasses much of Mexico and Central America. It also includes an ancient mile-high road of stone that runs for miles through the densely forested region.

The deposits rival the world's leading current source of mined jade, in Myanmar, formerly Burma, the experts say. The implications for history, archaeology and anthropology are just starting to emerge.

White, blue-green, lavender, orange and red are the primary jadeite colors. Jadeite colors are usually more vivid than nephrite shades, especially the greens.

Because of this, jadeite is more highly valued than nephrite. Mineralogists and jewelers take care to distinguish between nephrite and jadeite. The general public continues to refer to either as jade. Although they first used nephrite, the Chinese now prefer jadeite because of its color. It's been named Imperial Jade. Other names, such as New Jade, Korean Jade, Stygian Jade, Pagoda stone, Mexican Jade and Indian Jade all refer to imitations. None of these are authentic jade. Poor quality jade may also be dyed

British Author claims the Chinese, not Columbus, found America First

Good. Someone call Al Sharpton and tell him to send the bill for reparations to Beijing.