The seas that once separated civilizations were soon crossed by sailing ships that stitched distant peoples together into a new fabric of human history. Travel, trade, science, printing and learning burst into that world long wearied by tradition and closed off to all but the wealthy elite. Celebrating this centennial is only catching our breath in the exciting evolution of man. Almost everyone asks. Even though 1992 is three years away, the answer is easy.
Gigantic celebrations call for elaborate planning.
So if this celebration is going to suit the occasion, the sooner we start the better. Any uncer- tainty about beginning now really questions the significance of the event. If the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas is to be just another party, it should not attract world attention. Anniversaries are familiar happenings to most men in most societies. In Western cultures we adhere to some very complex concepts of time which affect our sense of celebration.