what really grinds your gears?

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Hit redial or *69 or use caller ID if you have it.
Or you can look up the phone number online to see who it belongs too.

Then call THEM up once an hour for a whole day, and when they answer, honk an air horn into the phone or just hang up on them.

You're such an ass - why is it you are single? Surely someone has got to see this and be panting at your hotness factor.:tongue:

I know I are.....

[Wade]

Here you go Mr. SmartyPants.....


America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer who set forth the then revolutionary concept that the lands that Christopher Columbus sailed to in 1492 were part of a separate continent. A map created in 1507 by Martin Waldseemüller was the first to depict this new continent with the name "America," a Latinized version of "Amerigo."
The map grew out of an ambitious project in St. Dié, France, in the early years of the 16th century, to update geographic knowledge flowing from the new discoveries of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Martin Waldseemüller's large world map was the most exciting product of that research effort. He included on the map data gathered by Vespucci during his voyages of 1501-1502 to the New World. Waldseemüller named the new lands "America" on his 1507 map in the recognition of Vespucci's understanding that a new continent had been uncovered following Columbus' and subsequent voyages in the late 15th century. An edition of 1,000 copies of the large wood-cut print was reportedly printed and sold, but no other copy is known to have survived. It was the first map, printed or manuscript, to depict clearly a separate Western Hemisphere, with the Pacific as a separate ocean. The map reflected a huge leap forward in knowledge, recognizing the newly found American landmass and forever changing mankind's understanding and perception of the world itself.



So we do "own" the name America. But its not because of the American landmass, its because of the explorer naming it after himself.

While interesting, I don't understand how this explains that the word America belongs to the States... this has nothing to do with us. Columbus didn't even touch what's now the U.S. This just proves that the word "America" was employed for the entire land mass almost three hundred years before our existence.

... or maybe I'm really confused.

[MisterTinkles]

I don't understand how this explains that the word American belongs to the States... this has nothing to do with us. Columbus didn't even touch what's now the U.S.

... or maybe I'm really confused.

Apparently Columbus discovered a different part of the "Americas" and this Italian fellow discovered the actual land mass that is what the USA is now. And the next explorer in line after the Italian fellow named the land mass "America" because of the Italian fellow who actually discovered this land mass.

Well, thats what I understood from it anyway.

[MisterTinkles]

You're such an ass - why is it you are single? Surely someone has got to see this and be panting at your hotness factor.:tongue:

I know I are.....

That is why I am the Founder AND a client of Assholes Anonymous.
DUH!!!

And Im single cause Im just too damn good for anybody.

So THERE!!!!

NYAH!!

[Wade]

Apparently Columbus discovered a different part of the "Americas" and this Italian fellow discovered the actual land mass that is what the USA is now. And the next explorer in line after the Italian fellow named the land mass "America" because of the Italian fellow who actually discovered this land mass.

Well, thats what I understood from it anyway.

I see what you're saying, but I didn't gather that Amerigo Vespucci was naming what's now "North America" as "America." If anything... I would assume that this means that "South America" is the true "America." Or if nothing else, this just proves that word "America" actually belongs to Italy!!!

My head hurts.


Either way.... welcome back Tinks! (I knew it was you) Love your siggy and avatar.

[Chase]

No sir....I have to use the demonyn American to designate United-Statian anything, that much is already established, like it or not on my part..

However, you haven't legally attained the name "America" for yourselves yet, so that much I will fight.....

unless you want to pay a good sum to the other 34 countries...you know...for copyright infringement in using a title that belongs to a Continent

Oh Southbiochem, where to start with you ...

Well, the USA was the first "US," as far as the first Americans knew it was going to be the only US. When the United States of Mexico established itself as a nation I doubt any of the Americans or Mexicans cared about the USA being US of "A."
Originally the 13 colonies that became the first states were as divided as the north and south were in the American civil war. To them each of those liberated colonies should be a "state" - the old definition meaning country. Only those thirteen countries ("states") should be united. That is why it is the United "States" even though it is all one nation state. Gradually over time many Americans identified themselves as "Americans" over "New Englanders," "Yankees," "Pennsylvanians," etc.
As far as copyright infringement goes Cristoforo Colombo probably should have had the rights of the names of the continents over Amerigo Vespucci. At least some places in the Americas are named after their native american names, even if the words were corrupted.
After typing everything I just typed I am beginning to feel as though I took everything you just said way, way, way too seriously.
Or maybe you're serious about that sort of thing.

[MisterTinkles]

I see what you're saying, but I didn't gather that Amerigo Vespucci was naming what's now "North America" as "America." If anything... I would assume that this means that "South America" is the true "America." Or if nothing else, this just proves that word "America" actually belongs to Italy!!!

My head hurts.


Either way.... welcome back Tinks! (I knew it was you) Love your siggy and avatar.

Well, I got that info from a government website.
A UNITED STATES government website, not an Italian one. LOL

From what I understand, discoverers named things after themselves back then, or named them after whoever the reigning Monarch told them too name them after.

So, "America" is called America because it was named after the Italian explorer who came up behind Columbus to see if there were places he missed or didnt look.
And just because a discoverer or explorer names something after themselves, doesnt mean they have the rights over it.

If Columbus had actually discovered the "New World", it would be called Columbus, not America. And we would be Columbusites, since there are already Colombians.

Ok, I hate history......Im outta here.....

[Wade]

Correction... it just occurred to me that I said Columbus landed in South America earlier.... the Caribbean is in North America... I'm dumb.

Can I use the excuse that I'm tired... or just American?

[southbiochem]

The ones we really need to worry about is the people of Holland who are also of the Netherlands but we call them Dutch....

That's easier, Bowyn

Holland is an historical region of the Netherlands, comprising most of the coastal area and the most important cities: Den Haag, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, blah, blah

As the core from which the country was formed is has often given its name to the entire country..

Now, historically all the region encomprising Wallonia, Vlaams, Zeeland and Holland have been dubbed the Low countries for obvious reasons, hence the English name Netherlands, German Niederland, Dutch Nederland (litterally...low land), all of it which was the ancient Roman province of Gallia Belgica...

Belgium takes from this Latin name of the region, so as to not be dubbed again by the names Habsburg Netherlands, Southern Netherlands, etc... Netherland kept the name but goes by Holland in order to no be thrown into the sack with ALL 3 of the Low Countries...yikes..

And then, comes dutch...dutch is the english version of the German term "German" which in the first centuries of the middles ages is all that existed in current Germany and Holland..I think it was "Doostch" or something like that

the germans took the term to name themselves as "deutsch" as early as the VII century, but germanic folks in the coastal areas went on a bit of ethno-linguistical derivatization and became nederlanders instead so as to differentiate themselves from Germans. In merry old England however, the term dootsch was kept for nederlanders, hence Dutch is the final result..and they took the latin version of "Germania" to refer to Deustchland hence, the term "Germans"


a bit confusing, I admit...but everything has it's reason

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Blah blah blah whatever bomb the whole region into the stone age - I don't care.....:biggrin: