400 years ago Americans used smartphones?

A 17th-century Native American appears in a 1937 artist's painting, sparking time travel theories.

According to Daily Mail, in the painting, a Native American hundreds of years ago holds a smartphone, a new technology product that only appeared in the 21st century.

The painting shows a 17th-century man holding a "smartphone".

The man in the center of the painting is William Pynchon, born in 1590 and a fairly successful businessman. He stands next to Native Americans, in a 17th-century setting, 400 years before the invention of the telephone.

The painting itself was painted by an artist about 70 years before the iPhone was born.

“The Native American sketch looks strangely like he's holding a smartphone, the way he's so focused,” said expert Margaret Bruchac of the University of Pennsylvania.

The image in the painting looks quite similar to today's smartphones.

Many who viewed the painting believed that this was evidence of time travel. However, historian Daniel Brown said that the mysterious object the man held in his hand was most likely just a mirror.

Mirrors have been around since the 17th century. Another theory is that the man who lived 400 years ago was holding a religious book in his hand.

Mr Brown said it could be a Gospel. “This book existed at the time and it is about the same size as what the man in the painting is holding.”

According to Kienthuc.net.vn