Amerigo Vespucci Quotes


They sleep in certain very large nettings made of cotton, suspended in the air: and although this their fashion of sleeping may seem uncomfortable, I say that it is sweet to sleep in those nettings: and we slept better in them than in the counterpanes.


Context

They brought hammocks back with them and the almost universal European naval custom of sleeping in hammocks was unknown in the late 15th century but exploded in popularity in the 16th century. Many historians suspect that Vespucci may have been the conduit.


Citations

Amerigo Vespucci, 1452-1512, Italian Explorer, Description of South American Indians’ Hammocks, Letter to Pier Soderini, Gonfalonier of the Republic of Florence, 1497

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

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Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci
  • Born: March 9, 1451
  • Died: February 22, 1512
  • Nationality:
  • Profession: Merchant, Explorer, Cartographer

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian-born merchant, explorer, and navigator from the Republic of Florence, from whose name the term "America" is derived. He became a Castillian citizen in 1505.