[Grammar] Columbus has discovered America

[jutfrank]

Perhaps you'd better make very clear what it is that I appear not to understand.

That I'm saying it's barely possible to justify saying Columbus has discovered a new continent.

 

[englishhobby]

Thanks to all who contributed. At least the original sentence can be used as an illustration of the fact that it is just not always possible to connect the past and the present as in the common rule: "The present perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past." Such sentences as "wrong" examples are usually crossed in grammar books.