SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 25
(By Senators McKenzie, Bowman, Oliverio, Minard and Unger)
Acknowledging the contributions of Christopher Columbus.
Whereas
, Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa,
Italy; and
Whereas, Columbus began his seafaring career at the age of 14
by serving in various positions on numerous ships; and
Whereas, By 1477, Columbus had migrated to Lisbon, Portugal,
which was one of the great seafaring centers of the world; and
Whereas,
In the early 1480s Columbus sailed to the west coast
of Africa. In the waters off the nearby Canary Islands, he first
noticed the ocean phenomenon known as the Canaries current, a fast-
moving westerly current emanating from that area; and
Whereas,
Columbus also gained access to a wealth of Portugese
seafaring information, including maps, charts revealing ocean
currents, interviews with sailors and stories about objects that
had drifted to the coast of the Madeira Islands from the west; and
Whereas,
Columbus had the great genius to synthesize the
experiences and knowledge he accumulated during these years and
formulate a bold plan to reach Asia by sailing west, a journey he
often referred to as his "Enterprise of the Indies"; and
Whereas,
Columbus spent the next decade attempting to find
financial support for his ambitious expedition before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain finally backed his venture;
and
Whereas,
On August 3, 1492, Columbus sailed from Palos, Spain,
with three small ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria,
and on October 12, 1492, his party landed on a small island in the
Carribean known today as San Salvador; and
Whereas,
After his initial expedition in 1492, Columbus led
three additional expeditions to the lands he had discovered, the
last of which ended in 1504; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate:
That the Senate hereby acknowledges the contributions of
Christopher Columbus; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Senate hereby honors Columbus Day,
October 11, 2004, which celebrates Christopher Columbus's discovery
of the Americas.