Spotlight: Leif Erickson

Leif Erickson is the explorer famous for the discovery of North America. Leif Erickson came from Iceland and was the son of an outlaw and the grandson of an outlaw. Leif was one of four children: he had two other brothers and one sister. While many people attribute the discovery of North America to Christopher Columbus, another explorer famous for his incredible discoveries, in truth, Leif Erickson beat Columbus in the discover of North America by nearly five centuries.

Why is Leif Erickson Famous?

Leif Erickson, the son of Erik the Red, was a Christian explorer, sea and land explorations were his passion. While Erik the Red actually colonized Greenland, Leif Erickson was a European explorer that sailed the seas and discovered the North American continent. It is believed that Leif Erickson the explorer famous for the discovery of America, actually discovered the continent around 1000 AD, while Christopher Columbus didn’t set sail until 1492 AD. Leif Erickson is not to be confused with Christopher Columbus or with Marco Polo, another explorer that lived during the late 1200s into the 1300s. Marco Polo is famous for traveling with his father to different destinations in Asia and then returning to his homeland and sharing his discoveries. The discoveries made by Marco Polo include different Asian cultures, and when he first shared his experiences with other people, Marco Polo was not believed.

The Discoveries of Leif Erickson

The discoveries of Leif Erickson revealed a new land to the Vikings, one filled with a number of accessible resources. It is currently unknown if the son of Erik the Red had purposely set out to find the continent or if he had come across it quite by accident like many explorer, Spanish adventurers, and explorer, Portuguese adventurers that came after him – making discoveries via trial and error. Leif ultimately named his discovery Vinland and ironically, once he left Vinland to return home, he never returned to the land he discovered. Among other discoveries made by Leif Erickson include the Land of the Flat Stones, also referred to as Helluland; and he named Markland, presently believed to be Labrador. Today, October 9th is celebrated as Leif Erickson Day. Finally, despite the fact that Erickson discovered America, Columbus Day is still celebrated every year.