29 February 1504: Lunar eclipse saves Christopher Columbus’s bacon

On this day in 1504, Christopher Columbus used his knowledge of a forthcoming lunar eclipse to persuade local Caribbean people to continue supplying his stranded crew.

In Hergé's Prisoners of the Sun, Tintin, Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus get themselves into a bit of a pickle in Peru, and find themselves about to be sacrificed by sun-worshipping Incans. But Tintin uses a snippet of astronomical information he found about an approaching eclipse, and claims to be able to command the sun to his will. As the sun is obliterated from the sky, the terrified locals set him free. (Unlike the Mayans, the Incans couldn't predict eclipses.)

Now, this is all very handy as a storyline; a convenient way of extricating your hero from a sticky situation. Mark Twain used the same plot device in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. But something similar really did happen on this day in 1504.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.