Columbus Day is celebrated in the United States: on October 12, 1492, the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus set foot on the American continent and declared these lands to be the possessions of Spain.
Until recently, it was generally accepted that Columbus discovered America. It is also safe to say that Columbus paved the way for a massive influx of Western Europeans onto the continent, who eventually formed several new countries, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

But to say that Columbus "discovered" America is now not entirely correct, since at the time of his arrival there had already been - and most importantly, lived - many people and nationalities. So who discovered America? There are several different versions.

Vikings

Viking voyages to the American coast date back to the 10th century - almost 500 years before the expeditions of Columbus. The Icelandic Saga of the Greenlanders tells the story of the Viking Erik the Red, who was expelled from his native country, discovered Greenland, and founded a village there. His son Leif Ericsson, nicknamed Happy, in 1000 AD made a sea expedition from Greenland to the Labrador Peninsula and the island of Newfoundland. The place where the Vikings first landed is called L'Anse aux Meadows. Further excavations showed that in the 11th century there was the first European settlement in North America.

Did Amerigo Vespucci discover South America?
A native of Florence, Amerigo Vespucci is rightfully considered one of the discoverers of the western continent. In 1499 he discovered the Amazon Delta and explored much of the South American coast. Later, Amerigo discovered the lands, which he named after the Italian city of Venice - Venezuela.

Did John Cabot discover North America?
According to one version, the cartographers gave the name to the continent not at all in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, but by the name of the English philanthropist Richard America from Bristol. In 1497, he financed the transatlantic expedition of John Cabot, who is also considered one of the discoverers of the New World. During the expedition, he reached the island of Labrador and became the first recorded European to set foot on the lands of North America. The navigator mapped the North American coast and was the first to explore the coast of Canada.

Such interesting versions of the discovery of America exist. As you can see, everything is not so simple and, most likely, Columbus isn't the only one involved in this.