Marco Polo through Columbus’ generation. What inspired a generation to seek beyond what was known? How did a family’s journey (the Polos) to China in the 1200s effect a generation 2 1/2 centuries later? What effect did Prince Henry the Navigator have on all of this? Who saw what? If Columbus had ever acknowledged that the islands that he found were not part of China, what would our perception be today? Why is our continent named after the Italian, Amerigo Vespucci? What was the difference in what the various countries of Europe wanted out of the new land? The stories are amazing.
