Image taken from page 273 of "The Romance of Spanish History with Illustrations" by John Stevens Cabot Abbott, 1869. A total lunar eclipse occurred on March 1, 1504 (visible on the evening of February 29 in the Americas). Christopher Columbus, in an effort to induce the natives of Jamaica to continue provisioning him and his hungry men, successfully intimidated the natives by correctly predicting a lunar eclipse for February 29, 1504, using the Ephemeris of the German astronomer Regiomontanus. The lunar eclipse and the red Moon appeared on schedule, and the indigenous people were impressed and frightened. He timed the eclipse with his hourglass, and shortly before the totality ended after 48 minutes, he told the frightened indigenous people that they were going to be forgiven. When the Moon started to reappear from the shadow of the Earth, he told them that his god had pardoned them.