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Columbus Predicted a 1504 Eclipse and Avoided Starvation in Jamaica

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Columbus, seeking to capitalize on the moment, told the Indians he needed to return to his cabin to have a word with God, where he calculated the time left in the eclipse with his hourglass. The Indians happily upheld their duties, and Columbus secured a food supply that lasted him and his men through the summer when the rescue crew returned with a suitable ship. Thanks to an information edge and some creative thinking, Columbus fought off a nearly certain death and successfully returned to Spain as he completed his fourth and final New World voyage.

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