Gather & Grow: Who really 'discovered' the Americas?

This month’s Gather & Grow challenges the notion that Christopher Columbus was the first explorer to discover the Americas. In the early 1400s, Zheng He commanded the largest fleet the world had ever seen. Hundreds of ships sailed to Africa and the Middle East, with the intention of projecting Chinese influence across the oceans long before Columbus. The Chinese grasp of shipbuilding, navigation and global trade was particularly advanced in this period. Ian Hudson will ask the bold question: did these voyages reach even further, leaving marks on the Americas and rewriting the history of global exploration?

Ian Hudson is a scholar and best-selling author who has focused on ancient sea-faring civilisations and global maritime exploration. He has worked with Gavin Menzies (British submarine lieutenant-commander & author) since 2002 on book projects as well as a ‘1421’ exhibition in Singapore, and a TV documentary series, before co-authoring Who Discovered America – The Untold History of the Peopling of the Americas with Menzies in 2013.

Ian is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, was an Associate Member of the China Maritime Centre at the Greenwich Maritime Institute, London, a ‘Next Generation Ambassador’ for the Committee of 100 and has lectured on his research at University of Oxford, London School of Economics, Yunnan University, China, and Duke University, USA.

This promises to be a fascinating discussion about disrupting the long-held understanding of who ‘discovered’ the Americas.

WHAT? Gather & Grow: ‘1421 and Beyond: Rethinking Pre-Columbian Global Exploration
WHEN? Thursday 30th October, Arrive from – 5:00pm, Start – 5:30pm, Finish – 6:15pm
WHERE? Story of Gardening
PRICE? Newt Members £5, Non-Members £7
EXTRAS? Tasty treats, bar
HOW DO I BOOK?

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