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For many years, information has been circulated claiming that Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered America (The New World).

Fact-check
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus did not discover America; rather, before Columbus set foot in America, a Viking named Leif Erikson had already reached the American continent. Moreover, human presence in this region existed many centuries before Columbus arrived in America.

Columbus’s Sea Voyages

In the late 15th century, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus embarked on a sea voyage with the aim of discovering an easier sea route from Europe to Asia (China, India). Columbus undertook his voyage under the patronage of Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. It was agreed with the monarchs that Columbus would be allowed to keep ten percent of any wealth he acquired during his voyage. On 3 August 1492, Columbus began his historic sea voyage with three ships and crew.

Was Columbus the first person to set foot in America?

According to information found on the website of Britain’s Royal Museum Greenwich, Columbus did not discover America. In his series of maritime expeditions, he landed in the Bahamas and the island of Hispaniola. Present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two parts of the island of Hispaniola. In his later voyages, Columbus advanced further south. According to the Royal Museum, he was able to reach only South and Central America. However, Columbus never came close to the territory of the present-day United States.

According to Britannica, although the idea that Columbus discovered America (The New World) has been widely circulated for a long time, it is not correct. A Viking named Leif Erikson reached the land of North America before Columbus.

Furthermore, 500 years before Columbus set foot in South America, evidence of Viking settlements was found along the coast of Canada. Eight Viking structures on Canada’s Newfoundland Island stand as undeniable proof of Viking settlements of that era. This site is now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

According to the Washington Post as well, Columbus was not the first person to set foot in America. In his series of sea voyages, Columbus explored the Caribbean islands, the coast of South America, and Central America, but he could not reach North America. Five hundred years before Columbus was born, Viking Leif Erikson set foot along the coast of Canada. In addition, Phoenician sailors had also reached the American continent many years before Columbus.

In other words, although Columbus travelled to various islands of Central and South America in his four voyages, he never reached the territory of North America. He was not even the first European to set foot in America. Vikings and Phoenicians had reached America many years earlier. However, after Columbus arrived in America, commercial links between Europe and America were opened. Therefore, instead of saying “Columbus discovered America,” it is more accurate to say “Columbus introduced America to Western Europe.”

So, who deserves the credit for discovering America?

Long before Columbus arrived, human settlements had already developed in America. The history of human settlement in America is quite old. According to Michael Bawer, editor of American Archaeology magazine, human settlements were established in the American continent at least 15,000 years ago. Most likely, they crossed the Bering Strait from Asia and settled in the present-day regions of Alaska and Siberia in America. These people deserve the true credit for discovering America. DNA tests of Native Americans have also confirmed that the first people to discover America were those who lived in the Alaska and Siberia regions.

Essentially, for many years the claim has been circulated that Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered America (The New World). But in the investigation by the Rumor Scanner team, it was found that Vikings like Leif Erikson reached the American continent before Columbus. Moreover, human settlements in this region were formed thousands of years before Columbus arrived in America.

Therefore, the information circulated that Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered America is completely false.

Sources

• History.com: “Christopher Columbus”
• RMG: “Christopher Columbus”
• Britannica: “Did Christopher Columbus discover America?”
• Voice of America: “The Real Story: Who Discovered America”
• Washington Post: “Christopher Columbus: 3 things you think he did that he didn’t”