Christopher Columbus probably used the map above as he planned his first voyage across the Atlantic

Christopher Columbus probably used the map above as he planned his first voyage across the Atlantic in 1492. It represents much of what Europeans knew about geography on the verge discovering the New World, and it’s packed with text historians would love to read—if only the faded paint and five centuries of wear and tear hadn’t rendered most of it illegible.

But that’s about to change. 

Uncovering Hidden Text on a 500-Year-Old Map That Guided Columbus