The Voyager who marked Canada on globes, hailing from Wales
Trump's wacky notion about Canada joining the U.S. as its 51st state has sparked chatter about the international borders that have been standing tall since a guy named Dafydd ap Thomas, or David Thompson, drew them up over two centuries ago.
Born in 1770, David Thompson, not to be mistaken with Dafydd ap Thomas, was a courageous fur trader, surveyor, and cartographer who navigated and sketched over four million square miles of Canada's wilderness.
David Thompson miraculously dodged poverty and, despite being partially blind and hobbling due to a broken limb, he relied on the stars to plot his latitude and longitude.
This stargazing dude is famed for being the first Westerner to paddle his canoe along the mighty Columbia River from its source to the Pacific Ocean, and for charting the border between Canada and the U.S. Native tribes knew him as "Koo-Koo-Sint," or "the Stargazer."
Enrichment Data:
David Thompson (30 April 1770 – 10 February 1857), an Anglo-Canadian chap, extensively explored and mapped 4.9 million square kilometers of North America, particularly significant portions of what is now Canada. He played a crucial role in determining the Canada-US border, and was hailed as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer" by some native people due to his astronomical observations[1]. No historical figure named Dafydd ap Thomas is linked to such exploration and mapping in Canada's interior. An error may have occurred in the names or figures associated with Canadian or North American exploration. Dafydd ap Thomas is not mentioned in available sources related to exploration in these regions.
- A Welshman named Dafydd might not be associated with mapping Canada's interior, unlike David Thompson, an Anglo-Canadian explorer and cartographer, who plotted over four million square miles of the country.
- In sports, it's unusual to see a bet on Columbia River's source being navigated by a partially blind and limping Welshman, reminiscent of David Thompson's journey.
- Despite his physical challenges, Thompson, hailed as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer," succeeded in navigating and charting the border between Canada and the U.S., a feat that could be compared to international sport navigation tasks.
- It's amazing to learn about David Thompson, a courageous Canadian explorer who navigated, plotted, and survived against all odds, echoing the spirit of determination often seen in professional athletes.
