Donald Trump decided that he would like to have Lake Ontario’s name changed to Lake America. Nice wish, but there’s a bit of a hickup to this happening: the Donald has as much of a right to effect the change as the Italians to changing “America” to be called “Vespucciland.
Allthough who knows?
After all, Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) was an Italian explorer-navigator and merchant. He partook in early voyages to the New World between 1499 and 1502 and was the sailor who convinced the so-called savants (scientists) of the 15th century that the massive piece of land lurking west of the group of islands that Christopher Columbus discovered in 1492 was indeed NOT Asia but a new Continent.
His reward: this new Continent became known as “America”.
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Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York.
For thousands of years before European arrival, the land that is now Ontario was home to Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Huron‑Wendat, Cree, Algonquin, and other First Nations. The name Ontario comes from the Haudenosaunee word Ontarí:io, often translated as “great lake” or “beautiful water.”
The province was named for Lake Ontario when it was created in 1867 at Confederation. The lake’s name predates Canada, predates the United States, and predates European settlement entirely.
Hallo Mr. President: enough said!
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As for Amerigo Vespucci: the Italian Navy built and outfitted a fully rigged, three-masted sail tall ship at the Royal Shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia, that was launched on February 22, 1931 in honour of Amerigo Vespucci and is the oldest ship still in service with the Italian Navy and used to train sailors.
The ship visited Montreal’s Old Port in July and I went to see her there.
Roberto, thank you for this lovely history. As Trump becomes more incoherent, petty, and vengeful, perhaps his idiot base of mental deficients will finally understand that they have been in awe of an idiot. As for Amerigo… no one has been able to explain to me how the name “Amerigo”, his first name, evolved into “America.” One would have thought, as you jested, that “Vespucciland” would have been the logical choice. So how did Amerigo become America? Did Italian street corner Doo-Wop groups sing, “Amerigo Vespucci, it rhymes with El Duce, makes me scratch my cootchi, Amerigo Vespucci! Comes Martin Waldseemüller, the German feller, a Latin buff, who had enough! Amerigo? No way! Americus, OK! But we need an “A”, so Mercator rules, lectured all the fools, “America” on his map and cut out all the crap.” (Mic drop, feedback, all goes dead, including Trump). Cheers!
One would think every American would have learned this at school. The general ignorence of the population about the history of their own country is a sorry reflection on the state of education nowadays!