Who is historically believed to have discovered America?
Christopher Columbus (1451- 1506) was a Genoese navigator and explorer. In the late fifteenth century, Columbus believed that it would be possible to reach the lucrative markets of eastern Asia by heading west, instead of the traditional route which went east around Africa. He convinced Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain to support him, and he set off in August of 1492. The rest is history: Columbus discovered the Americas, which had been unknown until then. All in all, Columbus made four different journeys to the New World.
What are your thoughts on this subject?
201 Comments
Jennifer Olesen-Arbogast
What about NATIVE AMERICANS!!! Can you be the first to discover a place when people are already there!?!
Jewell mendes
How u gonna discover america when the native Americans were here before him and others before them ?
Fred Zeb Fudpucker
"Columbus "discovered" America, because its existence was unknown to Europe before his actions, not because he was the first to do anything. "Discovery" doesn't necessarily mean you were the first in the world, just the first within your group or context."
Sorry, gang. Columbus gets the credit because the Europeans say so. LOL
Johnny Rock
The most appropriate answer wasn't even an option. Leif Erickson.
Robert Farrell
Jennifer Olesen-Arbogast, now they wish they had built a damn wall!
Dale Ewing
Hmm...I thought Columbus was taught to us in school. But, I went to public school soooo...
usayeti
Who was historically believed, was the question.
Martin Naumow
Did anyone read the question?
HISTORICALLY BELIEVED.
Please keep the PC out of this.
Columbus' ventures opened up America to what it is now.
Chrissie
I "historically believed" it was Amerigo Vespucci, and that it was called America after his name.
Our Politeuma is in Heaven
Yes and no. They were split up into many tribes, they still to this day prefer to be called by their tribe name rather than "Indians" or "Native Americans," they certainly didn't see themselves as one nation back then. I'm surprised the Vikings weren't a choice over Aliens.
Chris Brown
000 A.D.
However, according to both historical accounts and archaeological evidence uncovered in the 1960s, many scholars now believe that Viking explorer Leif Erikson reached North America circa 1000 A.D. — which may have made him the first European to ever set foot in the New World.
Sybilla
Pierre Poirier, none of them 'discovered' the Americas. The whole continent had been populated thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. I agree, a handful of Vikings were there before Colombus who only reached the Antilles.
Beverly Sue Hicks
Columbus did "discover" the North American continent he landed on an island not north American. Plus you can not "discover" a place that already had inhabitants
Andre Martinaglia
Columbus never put on foot down in the USA or north and central America. All the Americas are named after Amerigo Vespucci!
DeepThought
Amerigo Vespucci was here before Columbus. Prince Abubukari sailed to the Americas in the 1300s with 10,000 flotillas. Etc.. There are
artifacts from ancient civilizations in the Americas dating further back than 5000 years.
mcirciumaru
Columbus discover the Caraibes,Amerigo Vespucci discover America
Monty Mathias
There is evidence that numerous cultures visited the Americas before Columbus, not including the indigenous peoples.
Bobkatardoline
Frank Cowell, that was what I was taught also
shelleythistleton
Why? So you are more comfortable? Was there no history of what is now known as North America before Columbus? Martin Naumow,
Beverly Luetkemeyer
Chrissie, me too
David Coe
LEIF ERICKSON BY SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS
Phil Kennelty
Yeah. Well. Its the myth we were taught in school. this is just a silly quiz game.
Joanne Serin
Fred Zeb Fudpucker, finally, someone gives a logical explanation to "discovered"!
Irene Townsend
erik hughes, So why isn't it written in the history books. The question is, ' Who was believed to have discovered America', Most people that learn these things at school/ college are taught and believe that Columbus discovered America. So even if Scandinavia knew about this guy Erikson, discovering it 500yrs before, they kept it to themselves, as no history book that I know of has any reference about it, and the world minus Scandinavia doesn't appear to know about .
thomasstrain
Always led to believe Columbus landed on the islands of the Caribbean