The Night Columbus Took Away the Moon
Stranded in Jamaica, Christopher Columbus told the island's people that God would turn the Moon red if they didn't keep feeding his crew. That night, it did.
What was reported
On his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus's ships were wrecked on the north coast of Jamaica in 1503. The Taíno people there traded food with the stranded crew for months, but when the sailors began cheating and robbing them, they stopped.
Columbus carried an almanac that predicted a total eclipse of the Moon on 29 February 1504. He told the Taíno leaders that God was angry and would show it in the sky. As the Moon rose, it darkened and turned red. The Taíno brought food and begged him to restore it, and he timed his 'forgiveness' to the end of the eclipse.
Explanations offered
The eclipse was real and predictable: the almanac, by the German astronomer Regiomontanus, listed eclipses decades in advance. The story comes from Columbus's son Ferdinand, who was on the voyage. It's remembered today as an example of using knowledge to deceive.
- When
- 29 February 1504
- Where
- St Ann's Bay, Jamaica
- Witnesses
- Columbus's crew and the Taíno of Jamaica
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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