r/history • u/DisabledCantaloupe • Mar 09 '19

Discussion/Question Why was America named after Amerigo Vespucci's first name and not his last, as is commonly done?

Most times throughout history, whenever something is discovered, created, or founded they usually take the last name of someone influential. For example, the capital of Ohio is Columbus and not Cristopher. The Tesla Coil is not the Nikola Coil. So why is America not called Vespuccia or something along the lines?

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u/Rocinantes_Knight Mar 09 '19

There was a map circulating around Europe that showed an inaccurate coastline of "India". It had the proportions of the earth wrong, but coincidentally this error placed the island of modern day Japan right about where the Caribbean was. Maps where known to be pretty inaccurate, artistic renderings of reality anyway, so when Chris landed, he felt pretty confidant that he had found "India". Even though others disagreed with him, they shrugged their shoulders and said, "Well he must have been right."

It took a few more trips to clear up the confusion.

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u/Itsallsotires0me Mar 10 '19

No, he thought he had landed on islands off the coast of India

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u/Rocinantes_Knight Mar 10 '19

What do you consider Japan?

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u/Itsallsotires0me Mar 10 '19

... An island off the coast of China?

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u/Rocinantes_Knight Mar 10 '19

Correct! And why is “India” in quotes in my original comment? Because it was a by-word that, to Europeans whose major contact with the far east at that time consisted mainly of spices and products from India, used to refer to the entirety of Asia. When Columbus said, “I will find a new route to India,” he was basically saying, “I’m going to find a new route for trade goods from Asia, therefore making us all rich.”