Columbus Sees 'Mermaids' — and Finds Manatees Instead
On January 9, 1493, Christopher Columbus recorded three 'mermaids' he had seen off Hispaniola the day before — manatees, and decidedly 'not half as beautiful as they are painted.'
Tales from the year 1493
Sunday Island: Columbus Names Dominica
On November 3, 1493, Columbus sighted a mountainous Caribbean island on a Sunday and named it Dominica — Latin for the Lord's Day.