Operation AXIOM
Five hundred nineteen years ago to the day, 12 October 1492, a Spanish expedition under the command of Christopher Columbus discovered the New World. It is impossible to envision the last five hundred years of history without the intercourse twixt the Old World & the New World, the Eastern Hemisphere & the Western Hemisphere. Those who deny that Columbus discovered the New World preach balderdash. That balderdash normally follows one of two lines of argument. One, Vikings were the first Europeans to reach North America; that is true, but their explorations, colonization, & eventual retreat had little to no effect on the world beyond the confines of the individuals involved. Two, the pre-Columbian Indian populations precluded any discovery; nonsense, because before Columbus the aged cultures of the Old World were ignorant of the New, meaning he added something (a great many things, as it happened) to their knowledge; if that's not discovery, then nothing is. The devil take federal holidays & their infernal three-day weekends, happy Columbus Day!

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Fountains of Wayne, "I'll Do the Driving" from Out-of-State Plates, Disc One (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: We've come to the end of the road on our impromptu F.O.W. "planes, trains, & automobiles" R.B.D.S.O.T.D. series. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Hey, any reason to listen to Fountains of Wayne is a good enough reason.