Long Island Columbus Day Parade
October 7^th, 2007, 1 p.m.
Town of Huntington.

"Columbus: Fact vs. Fiction" by the Order Sons of Italy in America

This study presents a series of documented facts on the life of Columbus, his explorations and their significance, as well as the history of Columbus Day in the United States. It also examines the controversial charges about the explorer that have been levied in recent years, which accuse him of racism, genocide, and slave trading.

Using seminal sources, including Columbus's own journals, scholarly biographies and recent research, "Columbus: Fact vs. Fiction" presents convincing evidence that:

• The Vinland Map, which allegedly proves that the Vikings arrived in North America in 1000 AD, is probably a forgery.

• Columbus never owned any slaves or brought any to the Western Hemisphere from Africa.

• Columbus did not consider the natives he encountered to be racially inferior. In fact, according to his own journals, he admired the gentle Tainos, whom he described as physically beautiful, generous, innocent and intelligent.

• The New World was not a disease-free "Garden of Eden" that the early European explorers contaminated. Tests on pre-Columbian mummies, recently discovered far from the first European colonies, reveal the native populations suffered from syphilis, tuberculosis, arthritis and periodontal disease. Few lived past the age of 40.

To download the PDF file (68K) of "Columbus: Fact vs. Fiction", click here.