1659: (Non Terra) Plus Ultra Jun 30, 2019

Spain's national motto is "plus ultra" ('further beyond'). This might seem like a statement about innovation or culture etc., but actually it is about geography...sort of. The original phrase was "Non terrae plus ultra" ("no land further beyond") as a reference to ships passing out of the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. When it was discovered that there was land further beyond, i.e. the Americas, the phrase needed to change,  though it took 24 years to do so. It is thought to allude to the Reconquista, and more desired Christian expansion as well. The phrase was originally in French ("plus oultre") but was translated due to hostility with France.
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