Leif Erikson
Ohio State UniversityLeif Erikson.
Almost 500 years before Columbus made his voyage to the New World, another European explorer was leaving the coast of Greenland. His name was Leif Erikson, and he was the son of the famous explorer Erik the Red.
Erik the Red was an 11th-century Norse sailor who was banished from his home in Iceland after committing a murder.
Deciding that he’d simply go find a new place to live, Erik sailed west, where he discovered the frozen island he somewhat misleadingly named “Greenland.”
And like his father, Leif Eriksson decided to try his hand at exploration. Around 1000 C.E., Eriksson left Norway with a small crew headed west on a mission to spread Christianity to the colony his father had founded.
Wikimedia CommonsLeif Erikson on one of his journeys.
But according to legend, his ship was blown off course. The crew traveled past Greenland and ended up coming ashore on a previously unknown land.
Noting the climate that allowed for wild grapes to grow, Eriksson named the country “Vinland.”
The exact location of Vinland is disputed, but archaeological evidence suggests that Eriksson had actually discovered what is today Canada.
For a number of reasons, the Norse never colonized Vinland on a large scale. But the famous explorer Eriksson remains the first European to conclusively reach the New World. To this day, many believe he should, and not Christopher Columbus, should be known as the man who discovered America.
