Discovery of North America

Though many Americans acknowledge Christopher Columbus as the founder of the New World, little history depicts the travels of Leif Ericson. Arriving in present day Newfoundland, Canada, Ericson is a Norse explorer credited with the discovery of North America in the late 1^st century. Though evidence proving much of Ericson's actually history is scarce, various events have been recorded and interpreted accordingly.

Scholars and research claim that Leif Ericson was in fact, the son of Erik the Red. Born in Iceland, the Ericson family was forced to relocate to a more resourceful environment. History also acknowledges the fact that Bjarni Herjolfson, a fellow explorer who is eventually responsible for the associated article, similarly considered relocation to Greenland a justifiable decision. In fact, Bjarni's transport is said to have experienced harsh weather and proceeded far from the navigated route. During this accident, Bjarni noticed the continent of North America, and whereas he failed to set foot on land, stories related the encounter. Ericson, now eager to discover a vast, resource plentiful environment, is estimated to have set sail in 995, almost 500 years before Columbus.

After naming the newly discovered region Vinland, Leif returned to Greenland with resources such as timber and other Norwegian trade goods that he had rescued via the transport home. After the aforementioned encounter, sources initially began to refer to Leif as "lucky." In roughly 997, Leif set sail for Norway in order to achieve wealth and prestige. Eventually, however, he partook in the religion Christianity and preached his adopted beliefs to settlers in Greenland.

Naturally, the actual location has been criticized and debated for centuries. However, the associated questions were eventually answered after remnants of a Norse settlement were discovered at L'Anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland of 1960. The two sources that interpret the information discussed above can be found in texts known as The Saga of Eric the Red and Saga of the Greenlanders. Of course, whether the ancient remains actually refer to the accounts detailing Vinland is unknown though. Europe was engaged in the Crusades at this point, and after little exploration detailed the New World, and the exposure of Christianity in Greenland, few returned to the location. A rumor involves the return of Leif's sister, though apparently, the unproven facts mention she was murdered by Indians. No other information is provided until the voyage of Christopher Columbus reaches North America.