How America really got her Name

Nope, it's not from Christopher Columbus (that distinction belongs to a German writer of geography.)

America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, a 15th century Florentine merchant who owned a business in Seville, Spain, furnishing supplies for ships, preparing them for mercantile expeditions.


Stirred by the achievements of Columbus and envious of the reputation his discoveries brought, Vespucci endeavored to cultivate Columbus' friendship and trust. Seven years after Columbus' first voyage and while Columbus was still alive, Vespucci accompanied an expedition that consisted of four ships. They sailed past the eastern coast of South America, and visited Trinidad, which Columbus had named the preceding year. On his return to Europe Vespucci wrote letters with glowing descriptions of the newly discovered countries. He called the lands he had visited a "New World." Some years later Vespucci's letters were published and read by Martin Waldseemuller, a noted geographer, and Mathias Ringmann, a schoolmaster. Recently-arrived from Germany to the province of Lorraine, they were attracted to the town of Saint-Die because of a newly-established print shop. Both men were engaged in working on a reproduction of Ptolemy's treatise on geography, to which they were adding a preface. After reading the account of Vespucci's travels in "Quatre Navigations d' Americ Vespuce," they decided to incorporate Vespucci's voyage into the treatise. Ringmann, acting as editor, wrote in his introduction: "There is a fourth quarter of the world which Amerigo Vespucci has discovered and which for this reason we can call 'America' or the land of Americo." Apparently ignorant of the discoveries and achievements made by Columbus fifteen years earlier, Ringmann continued:


Interesting Website: Click here

Apparantly the motto: "Deny Ignorance" Didn't exist back then, thank god for ATS

[edit on 7-9-2004 by TrueLies]

Yep, I remember something about his name being on the map, and it came from there. Will have to check out the link though, may learn something new...

Szent Imre (St. Americus) was the only son of (St.) Stephen, the first king of the hungarians, but was killed by a wild boar at a young age ( in 1031). Back then, the Vespucci family made Imre as their "protective saint".
Amerigo Vespucci was named in honor of him, so indirectly America is named after a hungarian..

I read some were they found a letter with his signiture and it was spelled "Emerigo Vespucci" so if this is true, then America shound be Emerica!