Set of 4: Christopher Columbus Series

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RISTIANSPED, First Voyage of Christopher Columbus Seeking Queen Isabella's Support ANSA9 APR CHRISTA 24 1992 O0820 VI First Voyage of Christopher Columbus Crossing The Atlantic 29USA ANSTE APR 24 1992 O0820 CHRIS VI First Voyage of Christopher Columbus Approaching Land 29 STHANSPA APR 24 1992 O0820 VI First Voyage of Christopher Columbus Coming Ashore 29USA STTANSTE APR 24 1992 29820 Vì

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SEEKING QUEEN ISABELLA'S SUPPORT First Day of Issue: April 24, 1992 First Issue Location: Christiansted, US Virgin Islands Born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451, Christopher Columbus made his first voyage at age 19 or 20, and the sea became his life. In 1477 Columbus found himself in Portugal. Like Spain and Italy, Portugal sought a navigable route to the Indies, and its seamen followed the treacherous African coastline to find an easterly route. Columbus maintained that the east could be reached by sailing directly west, but King John II of Portugal refused to invest in his far-reaching plan. In 1485 Columbus approached King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Seven years passed before Co- lumbus heard from the Spanish court. Isabella agreed to support his voyage and agreed as well to grant Columbus's ambitious demands — that he be named an admiral, a noble and governor of any lands discovered, and that he receive a percentage of any trades established with dis- covered territories. In honor of the 500th anniversary of Columbus's first voyage, the stamp and artwork on this First Day of Issue Postcard pay tribute to the Italian mariner who forever altered man's perception of his world. No. 92-13 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Tom McNeely Fleetwood CROSSING THE ATLANTIC First Day of Issue: April 24, 1992 First Issue Location: Christiansted, US Virgin Islands For his first voyage, Columbus received three ships from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The Pinta and the Niña, two caravels designed to sail fleetly into the wind, accompanied Columbus' flagship, the Mariagalante — officially renamed the Santa María. The ships set sail from the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492. A good compass and crude quadrant were the admiral's only tools, for he measured latitude by the North Star and navigated by dead reckoning. Nine days later the ships reached the Canary Islands and on September 6, they put out to sea on a course set for due west. The sailors watched the last image of familiar ground disappear below the eastern horizon. For three weeks the ships sailed on. The Journal of the First Voyage noted on September 16 that “The Admiral (Columbus) says here that today and ever thereafter they had very mild breezes, that the savor of the mornings was a great delight, that the only thing wanting was to hear nightingales. Says he, 'The weather was like April in Andalucia.'" No. 92-14 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Tom McNeely Fleetwood APPROACHING LAND First Day of Issue: April 24, 1992 First Issue Location: Christiansted, US Virgin Islands By the 5th century B.C., Greek astronomers and math- ematicians realized the earth was spherical in shape. The astronomical and geographical observations of Ptolemy, an Egyptian mathematician of the 2nd century B.C., guided scientific thought until the 16th century, but his ancient miscalculations of the earth's circumference made land masses appear much closer by sea than they actually were. Few sailors of Columbus's day believed the world was flat. So when mutinous rumblings echoed below the decks of his ships, Columbus knew it was not fear of falling off the edge of the world that roused his crews' ire — it was fear of the wind. Caravels had never before carried sailors so far from home. Could these sturdy ships carry them safely back to Spain against strong easterly winds? With rousing cries of “Adelante!", Co- lumbus assured them that land would soon be sighted. Events proved him right, for two hours after midnight land was sighted. Columbus and his men waited to see what manner of land sunrise brought to light. No. 92-15 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Tom McNeely Heetwood COMING ASHORE First Day of Issue: April 24, 1992 First Issue Location: Christiansted, US Virgin Islands A veritable island paradise lay revealed in the sun's brilliant light, and the Italian mariner was eager to explore its lush interior. Accompanied by his two captains and other officials, Columbus marched ashore carrying the royal banner. Claiming the island for Spain's king and queen, Columbus renamed it San Salvador. Later journal entries maintained that the admiral“... never beheld so fair a thing ..." Still convinced he had reached the Indies, Columbus called the local Arawak natives “indians,” but he spent only three days exploring San Salvador before casting off to investigate what lay beyond the island. For nearly three months, the small fleet glided in and out of a dozen or more exotic ports, sailing coastlines from Cuba to Hispañola. On Christmas Eve, the Santa María ship- wrecked on a reef off Haiti. But ever willing to take advantage of opportunity, Columbus ordered a fort built on the island and left 40 of his men to search for gold until his return. On January 16, 1493, the Niña and Pinta triumphantly set sail for home. No. 92-16 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Tom McNeely Fleetwood