The many stories of Christopher Columbus

There aren't many eras in history where the official version of events is pushed as fiercely as this one. Grade school Social Studies classes all learn that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue, granted the Indians ( a story right there) the gift of his whiteness, and America was founded. Needless to say, common history is as wrong on this one as it is on the Crusades.

Story one: The Earth was believed to be flat, and Columbus knew better than everyone else.
This Columbus myth is believed and spread by many people who should know better. Greek mathematicians had proven in their time through Astronomy and Geometry that the Earth was "Round." We now know it to be more of a pear shape thanks to the space program. Scholars of the fifteenth century would not only have known about these writings, they would have them memorized. In fact the only people who would think the earth is flat would be the peasant on the farm, if he ever thought about such silly non agricultural matters at all. All one had to do would be to watch a ship sail over the horizon to see the proof of the spherical theory. These sailors did not fall off the edge of the earth, and sometimes even returned home safely to prove that. The Catholic Church is often blamed for the flat earth theory. However, any churchman worth his cassock could quote Ptolemy's calculations. Columbus is still given credit as being right when everyone else was ignorant. This leads us to our next Columbus story.
Story Two: Columbus knew exactly how far he would have to travel to reach China, and all the other scholars had miscalculated the voyage.
Columbus was turned down by the councilors of Portugal and even at first the Spanish councilors because his calculations were laughably inaccurate. Using the aforementioned Geometry of the Greeks, these councilors knew that it would take a year to reach Japan from the Iberian peninsula. Since this was also the time it took to sail to India, the new route was not only dangerous, but pointless. Columbus believed that Japan was three to five times its actual size, and that it lay on the equator. Columbus pigheadedly believed his calculations were correct and plowed ahead with his funding campaign. If it hadn't been for the mislabeled West Indies, Columbus and his men would have died of thirst and hunger long before they reached sight of the real Indies.
Now that we have that cleared up we can get into the fun parts. The conspiracy theories of the Colombian voyage. There are almost as many stories swirling around this as the Kennedy Assassinations.
Conspiracy Story One: Columbus wasn't the brave voyager we think he was. He in fact had maps of the exact places he would end up.
I hesitate to consider this a "conspiracy theory" as it could very well be true.
Years before Columbus ever thought to sail west, a vast Chinese fleet docked in the major Italian harbors. Their mission was to spread Confucian knowledge throughout the world, and to bring back tribute. They imparted unto the Italians a twelve volume encyclopedia of inventions and knowledge of the Chinese Empire. Maps of far flung places were presented to the Pope, including a map of the coast line of a "new" continent. Columbus studied this map in the Library of the King of Portugal. It is true that the Chinese had reached the west coast of America and that they docked in Europe, delivering many brilliant things. (There is a strong theory that Da Vinci was just illustrating copies of these manuscripts, and not really inventing his machines at all.) If Columbus really had seen these maps, then why did he think he would get to china through this continent? I believe his theories were just a smokescreen to ensure his reaching the continent first. After all, his deal with the Queen made him Governor of any lands found along with ten percent of its revenue. If he was sailing to the lands of Japan and China with three poorly armed ships how could he become Governor of those lands? It doesn't add up. Columbus knew way more than he let on.

Conspiracy Theory Two: Columbus was descended from a Templar family, and thus gained knowledge of the "New World." The Templars had been coming to the "New World" for years during their reign, and knew of its vast wealth.
While you may scoff at the story of Templars reaching the new world, think more about it. The Norse were able to do it in their boats, and the Templars had a massive sea going fleet. Oddly enough a treasure fleet that was never captured by the Pope, it disappeared. There is a tribe of natives in north eastern Canada that has a story of of their gods. Bearded men who held court on a mountain. The concept of holding court was entirely foreign to those people. Scoff again dear reader. When that same tribe was told they must pick a flag for their nation, they chose something eerily similar to the flag of the Templar family Sinclair. This family has a legend of some of its Templar Knights leaving for America.

This is the flag of the Mikmaq Tribal Grand Council and the battle flag of the Sinclair family. Explain that to me oh scoffing reader? Could Columbus have grown up on tales of this strange new world?
This also might tie in with Columbus' trip to England and Ireland as a younger man. The Templars of course found homes all over Britain as Europe closed its hearts to them. The evidence is there, but who knows if it could be true...

I have much more to say on the topic, but I will stop here for now. Next time we can get into more theories and my favorite, the what if scenarios.
So long for now dear reader.