Leif Eriksson - The First European in North America

Learn more at: Thanks to a rhyme learned in grade school, many people believe that Columbus first discovered America in 1492. But this Viking Cruises® video chronicles how, nearly 500 years before the Italian explorer sailed the ocean blue, a 25-year-old Norse navigator named Leif Eriksson and a crew of 35 men set sail to explore the seas west of Greenland. When Eriksson arrived on the shores of what he called “Vinland,” he became the first European to set foot in North America. Narrated by Viking Cruises Sr. Vice President Karine Hagen, this short film traces Eriksson’s history and his voyage into immortality. The son of intrepid Viking explorer Erik the Red, Eriksson led the historic journey from Greenland to North America through uncharted waters without a compass. Although the discovery was celebrated for centuries in Norse legend and stories, many doubted the accuracy of those accounts. Doubts about Eriksson’s discovery were finally dispelled in 1960, when modern-day explorers Helge and Anne Ingstad identified a Norse settlement located at the northern tip of Newfoundland that dates back to the exact time of Eriksson’s voyage. In the United States, the achievement of the Viking explorer with adventure and exploration in his blood is commemorated every year on October 9th. At Viking Cruises, we cherish our Viking heritage and connection to seafaring visionaries like Leif Eriksson. Karine Hagen of Viking River Cruises is your host.