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Gavin Menzies (born 1937) is a retired submarine commander and the author of the controversial book 1421: The Year China Discovered the World, which asserted that ships from the Chinese fleet of admiral Zheng He traveled to the Americas prior to Christopher Columbus' arrival in 1492 and circumnavigated the globe a century before Ferdinand Magellan as part of their exploration of the world. This thesis (known as the 1421 hypothesis) has been discounted by professional historians.

Personal history

Menzies was born in London, England, though in his book he claims to have been born in China, which he has admitted is false. This has since been rectified in his recent books. Menzies joined the Royal Navy in 1953 and served in submarines from 1959 to 1970. When he was the commander of the diesel submarine HMS Rorqual between 1968 and 1970, Menzies claims he sailed the routes sailed by Ferdinand Magellan and Captain James Cook.

In 1969 in the Philippines, HMS Rorqual rammed a U.S. Navy minesweeper, the USS Endurance, which was moored at a pier. This collision punched a hole in USS Endurance but did not damage HMS Rorqual. The ensuing enquiry found Menzies and one of his subordinates responsible for a combination of factors that led to the accident, including the absence of the coxswain (who usually takes the helm in port) who had been replaced by a less experienced crew member, and technical issues with the boat's telegraph. Some critics have questioned Menzies' nautical knowledge and whether he has actually sailed the routes he has claimed, particularly while commanding HMS Rorqual.. Menzies left the Royal Navy after the Court of Inquiry following this incident. Menzies Royal Navy rank was Lieutenant Commander.

Menzies currently resides in North London with his wife Marcella.

Vexatious litigant in 1996

In 1996 Menzies, under his full name of Rowan Gavin Paton Menzies, was declared a vexatious litigant by HM Courts Service. In this case, Menzies had been declared bankrupt following losses in an investment, and sought to launch a variety of criminal proceedings against the allegedly delinquent directors. Some scholars are reluctant to criticise the 1421 hypothesis because of Menzies' litigious behaviour.

Books

• Menzies, Gavin (2002). 1421: The Year China Discovered the World. London: Bantam Press. ISBN 0593050789.
  • US Edition: Menzies, Gavin (2003). 1421: The Year China Discovered America. New York: William Morrow. ISBN 0060537639.
• Menzies, Gavin (2008). 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance. New York: William Morrow. ISBN 0061492175.

Footnotes

1. "The 1421 myth exposed". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
2. "Zheng He in the Americas and Other Unlikely Tales of Exploration and Discovery". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
3. "1421: The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
4. Finlay, Robert (2004). "How Not to (Re)Write World History: Gavin Menzies and the Chinese Discovery of America". Journal of World History. 15 (2). {{cite journal}}: External link in |title= (help)
5. "Interview with Gavin Menzies". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
6. "Interview with Gavin Menzies". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
7. "Enquiry regarding the collision of the USS Endurance and Rorqual". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
8. "Challenges to Menzies' nautical experience". Retrieved 2007-03-22.; see particularly note five of the Appendix.
9. "Menzies status as a vexatious litigant in British Courts". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
10. "Transcript of judgement regarding Menzies vexatious litigation". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
11. "Discussion of Menzies litigious behaviour". Retrieved 2007-03-22.

External links

• Gavin Menzies' page on 1421.tv
• Gavin Menzies' website promoting 1434

Critics

• 1421 Exposed - Website set up by an international group of academics and researchers
• Finlay, Robert (2004). "How Not to (Re)Write World History: Gavin Menzies and the Chinese Discovery of America". Journal of World History 15 (2) - Scholarly review of Menzies
• Gavin's Fantasy Land, 1421
• A critical view of Menzies' story
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation's FOUR CORNERS Program Transcript of "Junk History"

Template:Persondata

• Royal Navy submarine commanders
• British historians
• Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact
• 1937 births
• Living people