Columbus stamp goof - revealed

Yesterday we posed the question: What's the geography goof on the 1993 Columbus stamp? I must say I had the same question as reader Phil, who wondered about possible lines of latitude and longitude on the map that's laying in front of Isabella. So I blew up the image (upper left), revealing that the lines are not parallel, so that's not really a mistake. At least I don't think so. And, like reader Enigma149, I did see Florida on the map—which Columbus would not have known. But, in fairness, that's probably more of Rorschach blot.

The big error, (as readers Ken, tkrausse, and kzimman noted) was the globe. Yes, most smart people in 1492 knew the world was round, but there was just one globe in existence (as far as historians can tell), and it never left Germany. And that globe wasn't a tabletop model—it was a much bigger, floor-standing unit. So that's the most serious error in the stamp above. But there is one more thing... as best we know, Columbus was 41 when he made the pitch to Isabella. Does the guy in the stamp look 41 to you? That's the same age Vince Vaughn is now... and Jack Black. Ah, there's a high-concept movie idea: Jack Black as Christopher Columbus.

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