Bermuda Rewrites History, Postpones Quincentennial

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Bermuda Rewrites History, Postpones Quincentennial

February 15, 2002 6:06 am EST

HAMILTON, Bermuda (Reuters) - Bermuda is postponing next year's celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the island because new historical evidence suggests the date is out by two years.

The wealthy British colony in the Atlantic Ocean had earmarked 2003 for the quincentennial celebrations because the first known map of the island, by Peter Martyr published in 1511, has 1503 next to it.

But local historians now believe the Spanish navigator Juan de Bermudez, after whom the island is named, first spotted Bermuda after setting off on a journey from Spain in 1505.

Bermuda's Tourism Minister David Allen said Wednesday that the celebrations will now be held in 2005 because 1505 appears to be the more likely year the island was discovered.

"As perhaps was the case with Bermudez, 'it's an ill wind that blows no good,' and the additional lead time to plan for a prolonged period of celebratory events ... will be well utilized by the Quincentennial Committee and others in the community," Allen said.

Bermuda, a 22-square-mile (57-sq-km) island lying 560 miles (700 km) east of North Carolina, has a population of 62,000 and is now a wealthy tourist destination with a thriving offshore financial center.

It was first settled in 1609 when Sir George Somers' ship the Sea Venture was wrecked on the reefs in a storm which is generally accepted as being the inspiration for William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

Allen said Bermudez was illiterate and did not keep a log of his journeys.

New translations of Spanish documents suggest Bermudez discovered the island while sailing from Spain in 1505 on a ship called La Garza, returning in 1507. Early maps of Bermuda identified it as La Garza after Bermudez's ship.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2002


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