[Ditto]

With instruments then available it would have been easy to estimate that sailing west from Spain to China would require a voyage of over 10,000 miles. Far beyond the range of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria without resupply. Therefore if Columbus had been correct in his assumption that there was no land west of Spain until you got to China, he would never have been able to make the voyage. In that light it’s easy to see why the crew thought Columbus was nuts - he was.

Not necessarily so. At that time, they did not know exactly where China was when it came to longitude. It was not until the 18th century and the invention of the Marine Chronometer that sailors could tell how far east or west they were.

Columbus did not underestimate the size of the Earth. He mis estimated how far west China was from Europe.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Columbus did not underestimate the size of the Earth. He mis estimated how far west China was from Europe.

That certainly makes sense, considering how difficult the "longitude problem” famously then was.

I don’t suppose there’s any link that could confirm that?