Who REALLY Discovered the Americas?

[Azrael]

There seems to always be this Eurocentric view taught in the classroom when Columbus clearly was not the ‘first to discover’ the Americas. There indeed were people who visited well before the Europeans arrived. Several archeologists/historians lean towards South Pacific Islanders or people from the Asian continent: ‘The Bering Strait’ idea having been abandoned for some 20 years now. (See Modern Times, From Alchemy to Atom, 2003).

The Asiatic peoples who became Native Americans were certainly the first, tens of thousands of years ago. Also Norse expeditions to North America, starting with Bjarni Herjolfsson in 986, are well established historically. Furthermore Phoenician coins have been found along the Atlantic rim and that might indicate Carthaginians thus they were technically the first Europeans if you include Carthaginians from Spain and the Mediterranean islands.

Columbus arriving in the late 15th century is the of course the main focus of discovery because his arrival had lasting impact on the entire world and ushered in the age of European expansion. Yet still – when considering Columbus - well first he didn’t annihilate all those people by himself. He had plenty of help from the Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, English and others. It was a European inflicted genocide, not a Columbus inspired genocide.

Does anyone else in KHInsider have opinions on this?

[Vossler]

I always thought that the Vikings were the first to discivor America.

[Azrael]

Always thought it was the Native Americans' ancestors.

[Vossler]

Originally Posted by Ziz

Always thought it was the Native Americans' ancestors.

We learned in history class that they possibly landed on the edge of Flordia one time by mistake.

[Dogenzaka]

Vikings lol.

No it's weird because Hebrew coins were found way before the Vikings on the coast of the Americas apparently.

[Shamdeo]

Christopher Columbus, Leif Ericson, etc. did discover the Americas, but it was for their respective societies who had no prior knowledge of the western continents and that's why they are referred to as the first ( Europeans ) to discover it. It would be the same if a Native American sailed across the Atlantic and discovered Europe, wherein that individual would be responsible for the discovery in the context of their own civilization. It's just a matter of how you interpret the possession of the word.

Some choose to perceive it as racially charged. :\

Oh, and there is growing evidence that during the last Ice Age a combination of humans from Siberia (via the Bering Strait) and northern Europe navigated through glaciers and ice sheets to reach the Americas.

[Mari]

I thought it was Leif Ericson. But yeah, it's highly possible that others came first...

Gotta say that I do mostly agree with Shamdeos above post though.

[Azrael]

Out of everyone, Christopher Colombus discovered the Americas because in the end, the Vikings nor the Polynesians ever had the courage to settle and establish colonial societies in the New World like the European powers.

I hear things that several West African kingdoms launched naval expeditions to Brazil around the 1300s but who knows?

So some people came from Northern Europe too, mind providing a link?

Fun fact: Basque and Welsh fisherman were well aware of the existence of the Americas and made frequent trips to Cape Cod for fishing.

[Mari]

Originally Posted by Ziz

Out of everyone, Christopher Colombus discovered the Americas because in the end, the Vikings nor the Polynesians ever had the courage to settle and establish colonial societies in the New World like the European powers.

I hear things that several West African kingdoms launched naval expeditions to Brazil around the 1300s but who knows?

So some people came from Northern Europe too, mind providing a link?

Fun fact: Basque and Welsh fisherman were well aware of the existence of the Americas and made frequent trips to Cape Cod for fishing.

I think I've heard something about ruins of houses with the same arcitecture as the Vikings houses have been found... But that's something I've just heard way back... I don't really have any proof.

[Neo]

God but he didn't discover them, he made them.

Vikings were the first to arrive there from what I remember but they coudln't survive and they all died, in Florida.

[Shamdeo]

Originally Posted by Neo

God but he didn't discover them, he made them.

Originally Posted by Neo

Vikings were the first to arrive there from what I remember but they coudln't survive and they all died, in Florida.

Replace Florida with Labrador and Nova Scotia, in which they had established temporary settlements.

[Shade737]

I'd go with the Vikings on this one.

[Forever Atlas]

Xenu

[madammina]

I heard St. Brendan made the maps.

There have been discoveries of Irish monasteries on the coast with heavy Irish influence (include one that is almost exactly like one in Ireland, just a window moved so the sunlight coming in on Easter I think is the same there) that were dated before Christopher Columbus.

But, I have also heard Vikings.

[Shamdeo]