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Public Historian and co-writer of "Exploring American Girlhood in fifty Celebrated Treasures" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021).

Answering the question "Who discovered America outset?" will be a continuous struggle. History is never certain. While nosotros tin know dates and names and events, nosotros can never exist certain when a "first" happened. This is because archaeology is continually revealing new show on our origins and historical events.

For a very long fourth dimension, everyone causeless that Columbus had commencement discovered America. Yet in recent years, the very term "discovery" has come up under fire. There were people in America earlier Columbus. More importantly, at that place are ancient texts that refer to various explorers who reached America from Europe (and possibly China) before Columbus.

So who actually discovered America? To respond this question, we need to become dorsum in time...

Christopher Columbus...or someone else?

ColumbusNavigation.com

In 1492...

Columbus sailed the ocean blue. In the year 1492 AD, Columbus "discovered" America. Well, not really. He actually bumped into a giant state mass that had been visited past Europeans (and possibly others) before. It also happened to be inhabited, at the time, by anywhere from 2 1000000 to 112 1000000 people. The population estimates are still under debate by scholars, such as Henry Dobyns and Douglas Ubelaker. Even so, what is certain is that Columbus - and all the fabled tellings of his "discovery" - was not the first time to set foot on the soil of the Americas.

Were Africans first?

There is some bear witness of African contact in pre-Columbian civilizations. In Mexico, stone head portraits of basalt on the eastern coast carry a hit resemblance to African peoples. Arab sources from the eighth century as well detail contact between Africans and the Americas.

Additionally, Portuguese sources speak of migrations from Westward Africa betwixt 1311 and 1460 CE. These sources tell us that Africans (and nigh likely Arabs also, who inhabited the northwestern portions of Africa too) had sailed to Haiti, Panama, and peradventure Brazil. Columbus, after his outset contact, encountered the Arawaks who told him of obtaining guanine spear points from black traders that came from the south and due east. Helm Balboa provided further evidence in his account of natives who had black slaves.

Sailing to Vinland

Ah, the Vikings. Fabled seamen and storytellers. In the Nordic sagas, the Vikings have recounted the tale of Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson (son of Erik the Red) who sailed to a land chosen "Vinland." Trivial credit had been given to the reality of this story until archaeological discoveries started yielding surprising information.

In 1362, the Kensington Stone was inscribed, referring to an trek of Norweigens and Goths who reached southwestern Minnesota in 1362. The rock was discovered in 1898 by a Swedish-America farmer near Kensington, Minnesota. Scholars initially labeled this stone as a fraud, but inquiry washed past H. R. Holad in 1907 showed that the inscription could be from the 1300s based upon its discussion forms and numerals. This evidence was further corroborated when an account dating to 1355 past a king of Sweden/Norway referred to a western settlement ("Vest Bygd") in Greenland that helped colonists in Vinland.

The Kensington Stone

Ohio Land Academy

Other accounts - notably of Gudrid, institute in The Far Traveler - also mention Vinland. Gudrid, as a side notation, is thought to exist the commencement European woman to have a baby in America.

The sagas refer to Leif Eriksson making landfall in Vinland as early as 1000 CE and his male parent, Erik the Red, making landfall most 984 CE. They refer to Native Americans as "Skraelings" in the sagas. Most of these come up from Nordic folklore, but many other aspects of their folklore accept been proven true in recent decades. Is information technology plausible that the Vikings could have reached America? Yeah, their ships were fully capable of such a voyage.

Only is in that location hard bear witness? Actually, aye. A Viking-era settlement, bearing hit resemblances to Viking settlements in Scandinavian countries, was found at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada, in 1960. Since so, digs at the site have revealed over 300 years of sporadic contact between the Vikings and Native American peoples, concentrated primarily in the Canadian Arctic. A good series of manufactures, with artifacts, can be found at this Smithsonian website, farther detailing what may take occurred at the settlements.

Irish Monks and Giant Sea Turtles

The Vikings, unfortunately, were not kickoff.

St. Brendan, an Irish gaelic monk, claimed in his writings to accept found "enchanted islands" far out in the Atlantic around 400 CE. Nearly legends merits that St. Brendan traveled across the Atlantic on the back of a bounding main turtle, but ancient descriptions claim that he traveled in a tiny currach (a traditional Irish boat of wood and leather). I reason St. Brendan rose to popularity was due to the account of his travels in the 9th century The Voyage of St. Brendan, a Latin book full of fantastic tales about his journey.

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No hard show of his visit has been found, though it is plausible that transport engineering of the fourth dimension might accept reached Nordic settlements on Republic of iceland or Greenland. This was tested in 1976 by historian Tim Severin, who built a traditional currach named Brendan and attempted to sheet to North America from Republic of ireland. Severin was successful.

Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that St. Brendan'southward tale is true. It is more plausible that the accounts of St. Brendan reflect stories of visits to the Americas, since these stories were written downwards centuries after they had occurred (and likely had been passed down orally, and thus may have been elaborated with each retelling). Notwithstanding, St. Brendan's story did take a straight result on the search for America: his tale was used by Christopher Columbus as a reference to support his assertion that lands were reachable across the Atlantic.

Cleopatra and the Chinese

In 600 BCE, there is the possibility that Phoenicians or Egyptians may have visited the Americas. There is speculation that Egyptian technology could have travelled as far the Canary Islands (off the coast of Espana) or Ireland, though it has been untested (to date) every bit to whether their engineering could have reached the Americas. However, Negroid and Caucasoid likenesses in sculpture and ceramics of the Americas, besides as some accounts in Arab history, propose that contact may have occurred.

Additionally, in 1000 BCE, it is thought that the Chinese may have reached Cardinal America. The evidence is of fairly depression quality. However, some Chinese legends and cultural similarities be between Native Americans and the Chinese. No difficult evidence has been found, to date. (Additionally, evidence has been plant that the Chinese may have reached America in 1421 CE - 70 years before Columbus.)

Map of potential migration routes into America.

Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission

Walking on Thin Ice

Still, if we are request who truly "discovered" America - the kickoff person to set up human foot on the soil of whatsoever of the American continents - then we must venture into prehistory. In the Pleistocene era, the Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets formed a narrow corridor and land span between Russia and what is now Alaska.

So far, archaeological evidence suggests that the first people - who would become the "first Americans" - walked this land bridge and through the corridor into North America. Traveling south, these peoples would accept encountered northern deciduous forests of oak, hickory, and beech lining what is now the Gulf Coast. These migrations took identify over long periods of time, as the water ice sheets opened and closed the corridor.

But who were these people? Nigh likely, they were groups from Asia. In order to find out, paleoanthropologists use many different methods: language, dental records, and mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic acid testing. In that location are some debates between these methods, revealing that the "first Americas" most likely spoke languages of the Amerind family unit, had dental records that matched those of Southwest Asians (the Sundadont family), but whose mitochondrial DNA had very unlike characteristics than those of modern Asians (suggesting that the "split up" between modern Asians and Native Americans occurred at least 21,000 years ago).

What we practise know for sure, nonetheless, is that later on the ice sheets melted and the Ice Age came to an stop, those who had migrated to the Americas - whether by human foot or, peradventure, by boat - became relatively isolated from developments in the balance of the world. This isolation resulted in a loss of amnesty to diseases, which would come back to haunt the natives when Europe came calling.

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Tiffany Isselhardt (author) from USA on Baronial 24, 2019:

Thank you, bell!

bong on August 23, 2019:

I thought that this was a very interesting website

Barbara Jones on April xiii, 2019:

Americus vespicus and columbus were twins

Shakeel Christ on March 31, 2019:

Nosotros know some other Name Amerigo vespucci whose Detect America . Kindly tell me who first discovered America Amerigo or Columbus?

cooper on September 24, 2018:

thank you very much.

Tiffany Isselhardt (author) from United states on September 24, 2018:

Howdy Cooper, this information was from a variety of sources, including textbooks, lecture notes from undergraduate courses that I took, and research into the topic. I especially recommend The Far Traveler past Nancy Brownish, works of Gavin Menzies, The Brendan Voyage by Tim Severin, and In the Hands of the Great Spirit by Jake Folio. (I personally love Jake Page's work and recommend all of what he has written - he is cracking on American prehistory!)

Cooper on September 24, 2018:

where, sorry

Cooper on September 24, 2018:

were did you get this information from?

Tiffany Isselhardt (writer) from United states of america on September 11, 2018:

Howdy Edwar! And so glad to hear this commodity helped. Best wishes for your studies!

Edwar on September 02, 2018:

I LOVE HISTORY! Thanks for the help you lot gave me an A+ on my exam!

mark on January 14, 2018:

Columbus was certainly not the kickoff to discover America. Vikings were definitely there early 11th century too Polynesians were in Hawaii in 4th century so why is Columbus credited for discovering America. Chinese might accept there also they can prove if they were but they tin prove they were not also Irish writings on a cavern prove that these writing are over a thousand years onetime.

Bob Allen on Dec xix, 2017:

Just Columbus matters in the discovery of America considering just he reported information technology in a meaningful way.

Errorsans115 on Oct 08, 2017:

hi, this stuff looks really dandy!!

mossabezzat on March 28, 2017:

Great article

Tiffany Isselhardt (writer) from United states on November 06, 2013:

@Derp - Cheers! I'g glad the information was so helpful! I hope to teach university courses i 24-hour interval, so knowing that how I'thousand writing and presenting data is helping students now is great feedback!

Derp on November 04, 2013:

Thanks Hub!

I wanted to thanks for the data that you gave to me excellent piece of work on the way you put as of data for me and without I wouldn't have got an A+ on my Social Studies Report! I volition go here more oftentimes now that I have found a site that has given me the correct answers and details to make it easy for me to explain what I take researched. If you guys are reading this now, This site is #i to go to at a last minute project, Thank You Hub!

Derp on November 04, 2013:

I believe that the Indians Perchance found America outset, I don't really know though.... I have a Social Studies Assignment on this and I haven't even started! AHHH! Assist me delight everyone :P

dereon puryear on November 10, 2012:

This was a very informational text and the vidoes and pictures helped me sympathise it fifty-fifty more than.

Tiffany Isselhardt (author) from USA on October 31, 2012:

@caitlin newsome -- this is the beauty of history. Nosotros never know the full answer. So there is no "ane" respond to who discovered America, considering it'due south all nearly who actually got to the continent first (and hence, we will never accept a name/face for the Bering Strait travelers). This hub is meant more to prove that Columbus wasn't the get-go, and history knows it, because in that location are all these wonderful clues in history that point to lots of "discoveries" of America over a long period of time.

caitlin newsome on October 23, 2012:

I desire to know who discovered america first

anna141 from Bharat on July 23, 2012:

Such a interesting article......

Kitty Fields from Summerland on July 23, 2012:

Very intriguing! Loved this article. I've always been one to root for the Natives..they were really the first, afterwards all. And from what I've heard, Columbus wasn't that nice of a dude anyway...raping and pillaging? Those 2 words take away "explorer" to me. Cheers and voted up!

wba108@yahoo.com from upstate, NY on June 07, 2012:

My theory is that most discoveries occur because at that place is an economical or military advantages associated with it. Columbus discovered America considering he wanted a shortest route from which to trade with the far east. Megellan had much the same profit motive every bit Columbus.

The Chinese actually didn't demand to effort to notice a short cut to Europe because they had the most sought afterwards appurtenances in their own land and so they were content to stay put. The Chinese had hands downwardly the most advanced society in their region wheras the Europeans were forced to compete with many other similar nation states in order to survive. This is why the Europeans were in a drastic race to go a leg up on new trade routes and their monarchs were willing to risk much to accomplish their goals.

Its really surprising the viking were able to reach America because their civilisation was adequately primative other than their weaponry.

I've never heard that Arab sources from the 8th century

wrote about contact betwixt Africa and the Americas.

Island Tropical on March 27, 2012:

you know people, it is me who ask this question but it is her that go all the glory :)

Paul Swendson on March 24, 2012:

I imagine that as fourth dimension passes and new information comes to low-cal, the textbooks of the time to come, when addressing this topic, will exist very different from those today.

Instead of describing Columbus as the discoverer of America, information technology is best to remember of him as the man who introduced Europeans of the belatedly 15th century to the "New Earth." And this introduction of the Onetime World to The New would ultimately transform the entire planet. And then whether he is referred to as a discoverer or non, he is even so one of the virtually important historical figures of the last 500 years.

Rebecca Mealey from Northeastern Georgia, USA on March 24, 2012:

This has some fascinating information. The possibility of so much activity on what we thought was the last frontier. Cleopatra in America! She might have discovered Hollywood! LOL!

Theresa Ast from Atlanta, Georgia on March 24, 2012:

Hi Southern Muse - but read this hub again, and it is just as good every bit it was the first time I read it. Well written, very interesting, and full of lots of information most a variety of visitors and discoverers. Well washed. SHARING

Tiffany Isselhardt (author) from Usa on March 07, 2012:

Thank you lot! I tried to turn on the link, and then hopefully it is working now! I'm ever happy to come across new colleagues in the field. Our passion is such a wonderful starting point for collaborations and friendships, and it certainly makes for interesting discussions!

Tiffany Isselhardt (author) from USA on March 07, 2012:

@phdast7 - Thank you for letting me know nearly that, I had forgotten! Hopefully the email link is working now. I'm ever happy to engage in conversations with fellow historians - passion is such a wonderful thing!

For everyone else, cheers and then much for your lovely comments. I'1000 always happy to provide interesting and informative hubs for the public, and hope to go on to do so as my own knowledge base develops! :)

Island Tropical on March 06, 2012:

you got lots of readers, this is indeed a great topic to write about...

shea duane from new jersey on March 05, 2012:

Fantastic hub!

Micheal from United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland on March 05, 2012:

What an interesting summing upwardly of the various groups that have visited America. The Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl, sailed beyond the Pacific in a gunkhole based on an Egypt design, made from reeds.

Information technology is possible that the Egyptians made it to America, v,000 years ago likewise. Bang-up hub voted upwards and interesting.

John Sarkis from Winter Haven, FL on March 05, 2012:

Nifty hub. It's between Erickson and Columbus, so I've been told. Furthermore, I don't like the term "discovered," every bit in that location were people living here already.

Enjoyed your hub and gave it "thumbs up"

John

Theresa Ast from Atlanta, Georgia on March 04, 2012:

Excellent Hub. Very interesting and informative.

Your Domicile Page does not have the connectedness, for someone to send you an email. HP sends it and your email accost is not revealed unless you choose to answer. I am a fellow historian and would honey to hash out a couple of bug with yous. Information technology is washed confidentially through the HP servers; no 1 tin contact you lot directly.

James Kenny from Birmingham, England on March 04, 2012:

A very interesting and informative hub. The part about St. Brendan and his sighting of enchanted islands was particularly fascinating. I wonder what those offset Native Americans thought when they encountered the American Megafauna, probably thought they'd entered the Garden of Eden.

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Source: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Who-Discovered-America

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