After being shipwrecked on an island, Christopher Columbus once used the appearance of a blood moon, during a lunar eclipse, to manipulate the natives.
Columbus made many voyages to the "New World," but it is perhaps his last trip that is the most interesting. In 1503, crews from four of Columbus' ships became shipwrecked on the island that is now known as Jamaica.
At the time, the natives welcomed Columbus and his men and gave them food and shelter. But after six months, these natives grew restless: Columbus had clearly outstayed his welcome. They also began growing angry about trading important items like food for trinkets, the only thing Columbus and his men carried with them.
However, Columbus had a plan to stave off the increasingly angry natives. At the time, every sailor carried a copy of the Regiomontanus almanac, which not only carried information about the constellations for navigation, but also about other events concerning the sun, moon and stars, including eclipses.
Having the almanac in hand, Columbus used the almanac's knowledge of an upcoming lunar eclipse and blood moon. He used that knowledge and warned the natives that his god was angry with them for their sins, and that in three nights, he would destroy the full moon and make it "inflamed with wrath." Columbus warned the natives that this bloody moon was a sign of evil that would befall them afterwards.
On the night of the eclipse, Columbus made sure the natives watched as the eclipse began. Eventually, the moon was completely in Earth's shadow and appeared red, as Columbus "predicted."
The natives were terrified and agreed to continue helping Columbus and his men if the moon were returned to normal. Columbus waited 50 minutes while he supposedly conferred with his god, using an hourglass to track the time. He eventually told the natives that his god pardoned them and that all was well. They then watched on as the eclipse ended. The moon reappeared, much to the natives' relief. They took care of Columbus and his men, feeding them well, until rescue ships arrived in 1504.
A similar event happens in the fictional tale, A Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain. Perhaps Twain was inspired by this event in the history of Christopher Columbus. So if you ever need another reason not to celebrate Christopher Columbus on Columbus day, you can probably add his use of manipulative astronomy to the list.
