Episode 6 – A New World

From Settlement to Superpower

On the 12th of October 1492, Christopher Columbus made landfall in the New World and forever altered the course of history. He had struggled long and hard to get where he did – for years he had been mocked by scholars, spurned by kings, and frustrated by the interminable turning of the gears of royal bureaucracy. At every step he experienced new disappointments, encountered new obstacles, but with a tenacity that cannot fail to inspire he kept on pushing and lobbying for his grand idea. The final challenge he faced was the voyage itself – an undertaking that required not only skilled seamanship, but also perseverance and fortitude.