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Revision as of 15:22, 3 May 2009 by Nil Einne (talk | contribs) (→Personal history: Using primary sources about court cases in this way is not acceptable in BLPs. See talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Gavin Menzies | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Retired Royal Navy Submarine Commander, author |
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | British |
| Notable works | 1421: The Year China Discovered the World |
Rowan Gavin Paton Menzies (born 1937) is a retired British submarine commander and amateur historian best known as the author of the controversial book 1421: The Year China Discovered the World, which asserts 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 the era of Chinese exploration. This thesis has been discounted "as nonsense" 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 recent editions. Menzies joined the Royal Navy in 1953 and served in submarines from 1959 to 1970. Menzies claims he sailed the routes sailed by Ferdinand Magellan and Captain James Cook, while he was commander of the diesel submarine HMS Rorqual between 1968 and 1970, a contention questioned by some of his critics.
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of factors that led to the accident, including the absence of the coxswain (who usually takes the helm in port) who had been replaced by a less experienced crew member, and technical issues with the boat's telegraph. After the incident, Menzies retired the following year.
Books
- Menzies, Gavin (2002). 1421: The Year China Discovered the World. London: Bantam Press. ISBN 0593050789.
- American 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
- Reuters UK. "Columbus debunker sets sights on Leonardo da Vinci." Tue Jul 29, 2008.
- "The 1421 myth exposed". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
- "Zheng He in the Americas and Other Unlikely Tales of Exploration and Discovery". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
- "1421: The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
- 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= - ^ "Interview with Gavin Menzies". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
- "Interview with Gavin Menzies". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
- "Challenges to Menzies' nautical experience". Retrieved 2007-03-22.; see particularly note five of the Appendix.
- "Enquiry regarding the collision of the USS Endurance and Rorqual". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
External links
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"