America Named for Vespucci Error

In 1507, German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller created a world map that labeled the newly discovered lands across the Atlantic as "America." He had read Mundus Novus, a widely circulated pamphlet based on letters attributed to Amerigo Vespucci, which claimed he (not Columbus) had discovered the New World. A mistranslation of those letters led Waldseemüller to believe Vespucci was the true explorer. The error stuck, and soon both North and South America carried Vespucci's name.

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