Coastin Carl
🗺️ AMERIGO VESPUCCI Day ORIGIN & HISTORY
Amerigo Vespucci lived during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He’s best known for his voyages to the New World and for whom the continent of America is named. AMERIGO VESPUCCI Day honors the Italian explorer and is celebrated on the 9th Day in March.
Amerigo Vespucci was born on March 9, 1454, in Florence, Italy. He came from a prominent and educated family, which provided him with opportunities for intellectual and cultural development.
Voyages to the AMERICAS
Amerigo Vespucci’s most famous voyages took place between 1499 and 1502. During these expeditions, he explored the coast of what is now South America, making several important observations. One of his key contributions was the realization that the lands he explored were not part of Asia, as previously believed, but a “New World” distinct from the Old World. His accounts of these voyages were widely circulated and published.
The name “America” is derived from Amerigo Vespucci’s first name. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller created a world map and, in a moment of recognition of Vespucci’s discoveries, named the newly discovered continent “America”. This name eventually gained widespread use.
AMERIGO’S Legacy & Impact
Amerigo Vespucci’s voyages and writings significantly influenced European understanding of the Americas and their geography. He helped dispel the idea that Christopher Columbus had reached the eastern edges of Asia, instead affirming that Columbus and other explorers had encountered a new and distinct continent. His observations laid the groundwork for future exploration and colonization of the Americas.
Amerigo Vespucci died on February 22, 1512, in Seville, Spain. His contributions to geographical knowledge and exploration left a lasting mark on the history of the Americas.
His legacy endures in the naming of two continents: North America and South America. While he was not the first European to reach the Americas, his documentation and understanding of the New World’s geography contributed to the evolving knowledge of the time.
🌅 HOW to Celebrate & Observe AMERIGO VESPUCCI Day?
Not sure how to LOVE the day? We’ve got a few interesting ideas to consider that may help get you started.
Here are some activities that you can do on AMERIGO VESPUCCI Day!
💙 READ all about it
Start by researching the life and voyages of Vespucci. Grab a book or watch a short film about Amerigo Vespucci and the Age of Discovery. Learning more about the time period by exploring online resources to gain a deeper understanding lends credence to what Vespucci ultimately did for world exploration.
And if there’s a local museum with exhibits related to exploration or the Age of Discovery, consider visiting it to gain a hands-on experience.
💙 WATCH Exploration Films
Enjoy movies or documentaries related to exploration and discovery. Choose films that depict the age of exploration and the impact it had on the world.
💙 CREATE a Voyage Map
Encourage your family or friends to create a map that traces Amerigo Vespucci’s voyages. You can use markers, pens, or digital tools to draw and label his routes.
💙 RAISE Social Awareness
Use social media posts with the hashtags #AmerigoVespucciDay, #AmerigoVespucci, #AppreciationHolidays, #MarchHolidays, #Holiday, #FindADayToLOVE, #iHEARTdays to support the importance of celebrating, promoting, and sharing with the world why you ❤️ AMERIGO VESPUCCI Day.
LEARN more about the explorer AMERIGO VESPUCCI
ALL ABOUT AMERIGO VESPUCCI FOR KIDS
BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT AMERIGO VESPUCCI
SEVEN Fun Facts you never knew about AMERIGO VESPUCCI Day
- The Vespuccis were friends with the infamous Medici family who ruled over Italy more than 300 years.
- After working for the Medicis, as a banker, and supervising a ship-outfitting business, an uncle got him started working in Spain. He soon learned about the field of exploration which arose during the Age of Discovery. Amerigo actually MET and talked with Columbus in 1496.
- It’s widely believed that Vespucci discovered the mouth of the mighty Amazon river while on an expedition with four ships. The explorers split up to cover more ground while at Guyana and Vespucci went south before regrouping near Haiti.
- Amerigo thought he had reached the eastern part of Asia. He then submitted plans for a new expedition trying to reach the Indian ocean. When Spain turned him down, he went to work for the Portuguese.
- Later when Vespucci revisited the New World, he was convinced it was another continent indeed from Asia. He then published his thoughts in a piece he coined Mundus Novus or “New World” and the Americas were born.
- Historians often blame him for overriding the credit some believed Christopher Columbus was due. But he remains a pioneer of Atlantic exploration, a noteworthy figure in the Age of Discovery, and a pivotal writer of travel literature that shaped how we view the planet’s geography.
- King Ferdinand made Vespucci the Pilot Major or “Chief Navigator” of Spain where he enjoyed a substantial salary and taught his techniques at a school until he died and was reburied in his native Florence, Italy.
The Imp💜rtance of AMERIGO VESPUCCI Day
Vespucci wrote letters from Lisbon; his first set to the magistrate of the Italian Republic and the second set to the Medici family. The authenticity of letters found and published by him and all of his voyages are speculative and questionable. If true, they legitimize who actually discovered America. What is for certain is that Vespucci was the first to realize that this primitive land was not part of Asia but actually a whole “New World” now named the Americas.
-
FAR Side of the World
Vespucci was indeed one of the great European explorers & navigators of his time. He traveled as far as Cape St Augustine in present-day Brazil. He also realized there were two distinct continents and understood they were “nowhere near” the famed Asia.
-
TEACHER of the Sciences
In imparting his newer navigational techniques at a school in Spain, Vespucci may have first measured longitude using an accurate calculation of the moon and mars whereas Columbus may have only measured latitude. It’s too long ago to be sure.
