In this episode, we explore how geography shaped north carolina s history. So imagine you're looking out at, like, a large puddle in your backyard. OK, a puddle. Yeah. And you pull out your phone, and you confidently text your boss that you have just discovered the Pacific Ocean. Oh, wow. I mean, it sounds completely absurd, but in 1524, that is essentially what this Italian explorer named Giovanni de Verrazano did. Yeah, it's wild. He was sailing for France. And he looked over this strip of sand on the American coast, saw a vast body of water behind it, and just officially reported back to the King that he had found the maritime route to China. It is genuinely one of the great geographical blunders of early exploration. He was actually just looking at the Pamlico Sound. But that kind of massive miscalculation, it really sets the stage for the story ...