I have always loved studying history. Of particular interest to me has been Egyptian and Chinese history - two of the oldest world civilizations. I've found Chinese history interesting enough to take a class in modern Chinese history in college.

Earlier this year I bought 1421 : The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies. Now, multiple sources have debunked his theories, and there's certainly enough evidence to prove him wrong. (There are further arguments over whether those seeking to debunk him are doing so because they refuse to take another look at history, or other reasons.)

Still, the book is a fascinating read, and although I think that, at times, Menzies is making some highly debatable leaps of logic, I still think that it's not entirely implausible that the Chinese weren't out there exploring. After all, when Marco Polo visited China (circa 1271), he found a society that was already further advanced than its European counterpart. Sino-Japanese relations reach back farther than the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), if not even earlier; so if both nations were exploring the Asian coasts, it seems logical that they would have continued their explorations over the years. Ships travelling northeast along the Siberian coast, had they gone far enough north in the warmer months, would have spotted Alaska, and could have continued down the Canadian coast. Certainly, China and India were in contact via shipping lanes, because they shared cultural relations and trading as far back as the 1st century AD - and Buddhism reached Japan by way of China, from India. So why not further, and on to Africa and beyond?

1421 fills in some interesting historical facts, such as the building of the Forbidden City, but the rest of the book needs to be read with caution, remembering that this book is, in fact, one historian's theory. And a theory, by definition, is an assumption or unproved explination. Still, many great historical figures were laughed at when they first presented their theories. I'm not saying Menzies is right, but he certainly gives food for thought.

And remember, the great explorers of history - "the Golden Age of European" exploration - were not driven by personal satisfaction. They sought gold, fame and glory. :)