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Question
#10670. kari
asks:
Who was the first documented European to reach the Americas?
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Gnomon
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Leif Eriksson, an Icelander, reached a land south-west of Greenland, where the climate was mild enough to grow grapes. He named is Vinland, that is 'Land of Wine'. This is described very factually in the Vinland saga, which was written some time around 1200 AD. This is generally accepted as fact. A Saint from Ireland called Brendan sailed all over the Atlantic many years before this and may have reached America, but his descriptions are extremely obscure, so it is anybody's guess as to exactly where he got to.
Feb 24 01, 11:47 PM
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