WAS CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS REALLY THE FIRST TO DISCOVER AMERICA?
Ask any child who discovered America they mostly say "I don't know" or "Christopher Columbus". But by now many Historians have proved that Christopher Columbus definitely wasn't the first do discover America. There were many other Sailors, Vikings and Explorers which discovered America a long time before Christopher Columbus did. The only reason why we believe that Columbus was the first do discover the New land was because he was the first to note down his discoveries. He also had the advantage of the printing system which started during his voyages, this made it easier for him to spread everything he discovered and to note down everything.
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So who was the first to discover America?
Leif Erikson |
Many historians believe that Leif Erikson, a viking was one of the first Europeans to discover North America round about 1000 AD, 500 years before Christopher Columbus. His father, Erik the Red was the first to discover Greenland. It is believed that Leif was sailing back from Norway to Greenland to convert his settlers to Christianity and on his way he came of course and arrived at a place he called Greenland, because of the many grapes which were growing there.
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Abu Raihan al-Biruni
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Many historians also believe that Abu Raihan al-Biruni might have discovered America. He was born in 973 in Uzbekistan. They believe that he discovered the "New World" not by sailing there but rather by sitting in his study. Abu Raihna al-Biruni's greatest passion was mathematics, astronomy, mineralogy, geography, cartography, geometry and trigonometry. This helped him calculate the earths circumference and the different longitudes and latitudes of different places. He believed that the earth is round and wrote all his ideas and discoveries down in a codex called the Codex Masudicus, Biruni already hypothesized about North and South America in his codex.
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These are just some people, historians believe that these men could have possibly discovered America but there are many opinions to whom actually did