In 1562, the Spanish cartographer Alonso de Villacorta accidentally created an entire civilization with one misplaced ink blot.
It happened on a Tuesday. Tuesdays were never his best days. The humidity in Seville had turned his map parchment soft, his quill rebellious, and his patience nonexistent. While drawing the edge of the known New World — that mysterious mass of green promises called La Florida — he sneezed.
