[afraidfortherepublic]

Instead, according to Gavin Menzies, ... the eunuch admiral, Zheng He, was there first.

Hmmmm. The article does not explain how, or why, Zheng He became a eunuch, although the Chinese were known to do that to foreigners and slaves in order to keep their race pure. Is it possible that Zeng He was from another (sea-faring) country? Fascinating!

[tarheelswamprat]

Hmmmm. The article does not explain how, or why, Zheng He became a eunuch, although the Chinese were known to do that to foreigners and slaves in order to keep their race pure.

Maybe he was careless sliding down some of those ratlines?