...the myth of Columbus as the heroic discoverer of the Americas 500 years ago.
1. 发现(以前不知道的事实)
If you discover something that you did not know about before, you become aware of it or learn of it.
e.g. She discovered that they'd escaped...
她发现他们已经逃跑了。
e.g. I discovered I was pregnant...
我发现自己怀孕了。
2. (偶然)发现;找到(一直在寻找的某人或某物)
If a person or thing is discovered, someone finds them, either by accident or because they have been looking for them.
e.g. A few days later his badly beaten body was discovered on a roadside outside the city.
几天后，他的尸体在城外的路边被发现，身上有被严重殴打过的痕迹。
3. (第一个)发现
When someone discovers a new place, substance, scientific fact, or scientific technique, they are the first person to find it or become aware of it.
e.g. ...the first European to discover America...
第一个发现美洲大陆的欧洲人
e.g. In the 19th century, gold was discovered in California...
19 世纪时，在加利福尼亚发现了金子。
discoverer
...the myth of Columbus as the heroic discoverer of the Americas 500 years ago.
500 年前哥伦布作为发现美洲大陆的英雄人物而具有的传奇色彩