Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Contacting aliens: 1696

...it is reasonable to believe, that the Winds and Currents brought from America those several things towards the Azores and Porto Santo, which are recorded by Fernan Colon, in the Life of his Father Christopher... ...to be some of the Reasons moved the said Christopher Columbus to attempt the Discovery of the W. Indies. The things mentioned by them, are 1. a piece of Wood ingeniously wrought, but not with Iron,... ...2dly, Another piece of Wood like the other... ...3dly, very large Canes, much beyond any growing in those Parts... ...and that on another of those Islands... ...was cast on Shore two Mens Bodies with larger Faces, and different Aspects from Christians; and that at Capo della Verga were once seen two Canoas or Barks with Cabins, which were believed to be forced to Sea, when accidentally they had been going from some one Island to another.
--From Philosophical Transactions--

We know what happened to the people in the Americas after they unintentionally made Europeans aware of their presence. Why do we allow people to purposefully try to send messages to aliens?

1 comment:

chickelit said...

Why do we allow people to purposefully try to send messages to aliens?

That's a very good question Jason. I suspect it was the doing of people like Carl Sagan.
I wonder if the Russians ever did anything similar.