When was the discovery of America?

Answer 1

In the most realistic, historically accurate, and politically correct sense, the Americas were "discovered" by the nomadic tribes of hunter-gatherers that crossed over from Asia on a land bridge that used to exist across what is now the Bering Sea. This happened thousands of years ago when water levels were far lower than today because that water was locked up in glaciers.

Popular culture tells us that Christoper Columbus discovered the Americas when, on October 12, 1492, he sighted land in what is now the Bahamas after sailing west from Spain. This led to the colonization of the "New World," which caused the genocide and exploitation of many indigenous cultures and ultimately led to the founding of The United States and numerous other countries.

However, it has now been determined that Vikings actually reached North America several hundred years prior to Columbus. Their settlement, Vinland, has been carefully excavated in what is now Newfoundland, Canada.

Additionally, several theories about other contact with the Western Hemisphere by other cultures have been proposed. Some historians believe Polynesians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, medieval Irish monks, and the Knights Templar may all have visited, although there is no definitive archaeological proof in any of those scenarios.