An egg of Columbus or Columbus's egg refers to a brilliant idea or discovery that seems simple or easy after the fact. The expression refers to a popular story of how Christopher Columbus, having been told that discovering the Americas was no great accomplishment, challenged his critics to make an egg stand on its tip. After his challengers gave up, Columbus did it himself by tapping the egg on the table so as to flatten its tip.
The story is often alluded to when discussing creativity. The term has also been used as the trade name of puzzles.
Read more about Egg Of Columbus: Source of The Story, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words egg and/or columbus:
“The egg is back. The egg is back.”
—Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haitian president. New York Times, p. 10A (September 6, 1994)
“If Columbus was the first to discover the islands, Americus Vespucius and Cabot, and the Puritans, and we their descendants, have discovered only the shores of America.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)