Discovery of America. The path of mistakes and mysteries

Christopher Columbus is the discoverer of South and Central America. Expeditions of Columbus.

Christopher Columbus biography

1 expedition. Discovery of America by Columbus in 1492

The first expedition Christopher Columbus assembled from three ships - "Santa Maria" (three-masted flagship 25 m long, with a displacement of 120 tons, captain of the ship Columbus), caravels "Pinta" (captain - Martin Alonso Pinzon) and "Nina" (captain - Vicente Yanes Pinson) with a displacement of 55 tons and 87 people of the expedition personnel.
The flotilla left Palos on August 3, 1492, turned west from the Canary Islands, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, opening the Sargasso Sea and reached an island in the Bahamas (the first to see American land was the sailor "Pinta" Rodrigo de Triana October 12, 1492). Columbus landed on the coast, which the locals call Guanahani, hoisted a banner on it, declared the open land the property of the Spanish king, and formally took possession of the island. The island was named San Salvador.
For a long time (1940-1982) Watling Island was considered San Salvador. However, our contemporary American geographer George Judge in 1986 processed all the collected materials on a computer and came to the conclusion that the first American land seen by Columbus was Samana Island (120 km southeast of Watling).
On October 14-24, Columbus approached several more Bahamas, and on October 28 - December 5, he discovered part of the northeast coast of Cuba. December 6 reached the island of Haiti and moved along the northern coast. On the night of December 25, the flagship Santa Maria landed on a reef, but the crew escaped. For the first time in the history of navigation, on the orders of Columbus, Indian hammocks were adapted for sailor bunks.
Columbus returned to Castile on the Nina on March 15, 1493. From America, Columbus brought seven captive American natives, who were called Indians in Europe, as well as some gold and plants and fruits hitherto unknown in the Old World, including an annual corn plant (in Haiti it is called maize), tomatoes, peppers, tobacco (“ dried leaves, which were especially prized by the locals"), pineapples, cocoa and potatoes (because of their beautiful pink and white flowers). The political resonance of Columbus's voyage was the "papal meridian": the head of the Catholic Church established a demarcation line in the Atlantic, indicating different directions for the discovery of new lands to rival Spain and Portugal.
The first landing of Christopher Columbus on the shores of the New World: in San Salvador, Wisconsin, October 12, 1492.
Author of the painting: Spanish artist Tolin Puebla, Theophilus Dioscor Dioscoro Teofilo Puebla Tolin (1831-1901)
Publisher: American firm Currier and Ives (engravings, lithography, popular prints), publication 1892.

2 expedition of Christopher Columbus (1493 - 1496)

The second expedition (1493-96), led by Admiral Columbus, in the position of Viceroy of the newly discovered lands, consisted of 17 ships with a crew of 1.5-2.5 thousand people. On November 3-15, 1493, Columbus discovered the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe and about 20 Lesser Antilles, on November 19, the island of Puerto Rico. In March 1494, in search of gold, he made a military campaign deep into the island of Haiti, in the summer he discovered the southeastern and southern coasts of Cuba, the islands of Youth and Jamaica. For 40 days, Columbus explored the southern coast of Haiti, the conquest of which continued in 1495. But in the spring of 1496 he sailed home, completing his second voyage on June 11 in Castile. Columbus announced the discovery of a new route to Asia. The colonization of new lands by free settlers, which began soon, was very expensive for the Spanish crown, and Columbus proposed to populate the islands with criminals, halving their sentence. With fire and sword, plundering and destroying the country of ancient culture, Cortez's military detachments passed through the land of the Aztecs - Mexico, and Pizarro's detachments passed through the land of the Incas - Peru.

3 expedition of Christopher Columbus (1498 - 1499)

The third expedition (1498-99) consisted of six ships, three of which Columbus himself led across the Atlantic. On July 31, 1498, he discovered the island of Trinidad, entered the Gulf of Paria, discovered the mouth of the western arm of the Orinoco Delta and the Paria Peninsula, marking the beginning of the discovery of South America. Having entered the Caribbean Sea, he approached the Araya Peninsula, discovered the island of Margarita on August 15 and arrived in Haiti on August 31. In 1500, upon a denunciation, Christopher Columbus was arrested and, shackled (which he then kept for the rest of his life), was sent to Castile, where he was expected to be released.

4 expedition of Christopher Columbus (1502 - 1504)

America is a part of the world that Columbus is credited with officially discovering, but history is full of dark spots.

The modern United States plays one of the key roles in political strife, has a serious impact on other countries and the global economy. But the path to such a high level was long and thorny. It all started with the discovery of America.

Christopher Columbus was a Spanish navigator who discovered two new continents for Europeans. He made 4 expeditions, each of which was sent by kings, hoping to find a short trade route with India.

The first expedition consisted of three ships with a total of 91 people. She ended up on the island of San Salvador on October 12, 1492.

The second expedition, consisting of 17 ships and 1500 people, lasted from 1493 to 1496. During this time, Columbus discovered Dominica, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and about 20 more Lesser Antilles. In June, he already reported to the government about his amazing finds.

The third expedition, which included 6 ships, set off in 1498, and two years later returned to their native shores. Several more lands were discovered, including Trinidad, Margarita, the Araya and Paria peninsulas.

The last expedition, which sailed in 1502, included 4 ships. Within two years, the islands of Martinique, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica were discovered. Columbus crashed near Jamaica, and help arrived only a year later. The travelers arrived in their native Castile in November 1504.

Date when America was discovered - Vikings in 1000

Eric the Red was known as a great Viking. His son, Leif Erickson, was the first to set foot on American soil. After wintering in its open spaces, Erickson and his expedition returned to Greenland. This happened around the year 1000.

Two years later, brother Thorvald Erikson, the second son of Eric the Red, founded his settlement on the territory discovered by his brother. Less than a month later, local Indians attacked his people, killing Torvald and forcing the rest to return home.

In the future, the daughter of Erik the Red Freydis and his daughter-in-law Gudrid also tried to conquer new territories. The latter even managed to trade with the Indians, offering various goods. But the Viking settlement could not survive in America for more than 10 years, despite constant attempts.

When did Amerigo Vespucci discover America?

Amerigo Vespucci, after whom, according to some historians, the continents are named, first visited the New World as a navigator. Alonso de Ojeda's expedition route was chosen using a map created by Christopher Columbus. Together with him, Amerigo Vespucci took about a hundred slaves, who were the indigenous inhabitants of America.

Vespucci visited the new territory twice more - in 1501-1502 and from 1503 to 1504. If the Spaniard Christopher wanted to stock up on gold, then the Florentine Amerigo wanted to discover as many new lands as possible in order to gain fame and save his name in history.

What does Wikipedia say about the dates of the discovery of America?

The famous Wikipedia tells about the discovery of the continents of America with unprecedented detail. In the vastness of the world encyclopedia, you can find information about all the expeditions to the New World, about each of the possible discoverers, and the further history of the Indians.

Wikipedia calls the date of the discovery of America October 12, 1492, referring to Christopher Columbus.

It was he who managed not only to discover new territories, but to capture them on his map. Amerigo Vespucci was able to provide Europeans with a more complete picture of how the continents look. Although his "complete" map was significantly different from the modern one.

In what year after the discovery did the settlement of America begin?

The settlement of American soil began many thousands of years before its official discovery. It is believed that the ancestors of the Indians were the Eskimos, Inuit, Aleuts. The Vikings, as you know, also tried to take over the territories of the New World. But they did not succeed - the indigenous people protected it too jealously.

After the discoveries of Columbus and Vespucci, almost 50 years passed before the first European settlements appeared.

In the American city of St. Augusting in 1565, the first small settlement of the Spaniards was organized.

In 1585, the first British colony of Roanoke was created, which was destroyed by the Indians. The next attempt by the British was a colony in Virginia, which appeared in 1607.

And finally, the first colony in New England was the village, located in Plymouth in 1620. It is this year that is recognized as the official date for the colonization of the New World.

Possible discoverers before Christopher Columbus

There are many people on the list of possible discoverers. Historians cannot find reliable facts about this, but there are sources indicating that the information is still correct.

Of the hypothetical discoverers, it is worth highlighting:

Phoenicians - 370 BC;
ancient Egyptians;
Hui Shen, who was a Buddhist monk who made the first, as it turned out, trip around the world - the 5th century;
Irish monk Brendan, who followed in the footsteps of Shen - VI century;
Malay Sultan Abubakar II - 1330;
Chinese explorer Zheng He - 1420;
Portuguese Juan Korterial - 1471.

These persons had pure intentions, they were not looking for fame and gold, therefore they did not tell the general public about their find. They weren't trying to bring back evidence or enslave the Native Americans.

Perhaps that is why their names are not familiar to most contemporaries, and the discoverer of the new land is indicated by the more cruel and greedy for gold Christopher Columbus.

The fate of the natives of America

The story of the discovery of America is presented in modern history as a joyful event that laid the foundation for a new nation of "emigrants." But it also became a nightmare for many Indians who had to endure the indescribable horrors created by the conquerors.

The Spaniards killed several thousand native Americans, and took several hundred into slavery. They made fun of the Indians, killed with particular cruelty, not sparing even babies. The “whites”, who arrived in the new lands, sprinkled them with blood, reducing the joyful discovery to a bloody massacre.

One of the Indians watching the fate, the priest Bartolome de Las Casas, who arrived with Columbus, tried to protect the Indians, even went to the Spanish court in the hope of pardoning them. As a result, the court decided whether it was worth calling the Indians people at all, whether they had a soul.

The negative attitude is explained by the fact that Columbus left his team to look after the New World and went home. When he returned, he saw all his people dead. As it turned out, the Spaniards became impudent, beating the men and raping the women of the tribe, as well as killing the recalcitrant. The Indians, who initially considered the “whites” to be gods, quickly realized how things were and began to defend themselves. This is what led to further tragic incidents.

In any case, the discovery of America- an important event, which today is considered one of the loudest in the history of civilization.

The lands were the most common: the founding of cities, the discovery of deposits of gold and wealth. In the 15th century, navigation was actively developing, and expeditions were equipped in search of an unknown continent. What was on the mainland before the arrival of Europeans, when Columbus discovered America, and under what circumstances did this happen?

History of the great discovery

By the 15th century, European states were distinguished by a high level of development. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence, looking for additional sources of profit to replenish the treasury. New colonies formed.

Before the discovery, tribes lived on the continent. The natives were distinguished by a friendly character, which favored the rapid development of the territory.

Christopher Columbus, while still a teenager, discovered such a hobby as cartography. The Spanish navigator once learned from the astronomer and geographer Toscanelli that if you sail westward, you can reach India much faster. It was 1470. And the idea came just in time, as Columbus was looking for another route that would allow him to get to India in a short time. He suggested that a route should be laid through the Canary Islands.

In 1475, the Spaniard organizes an expedition, the purpose of which is to find a fast way by sea to India across the Atlantic Ocean. He reported this to the government with a request to support his idea, but received no help. The second time Columbus wrote to King Joao II of Portugal, however, he was also refused. Then he again turned to the government of Spain. On this occasion, several meetings of the commission were held, lasting a year. The final positive decision on financing was made after the victory of the Spanish troops in the city of Granada, liberated from the occupation of the Arabs.

In the event that a new path to India was discovered, Columbus was promised not only wealth, but also a noble title: Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of the lands that he would discover. Since Spanish ships were forbidden to enter the waters on the western coast of Africa, such a move was beneficial for the government in order to conclude a direct trade agreement with India.

In what year did Columbus discover America?

1942 is officially recognized as the year of the discovery of America in history. Having discovered undeveloped lands, Columbus did not imagine that he had discovered the continent, which would be called the "New World". In what year the Spaniards discovered America, one can say conditionally, since a total of four campaigns were undertaken. Each time the navigator found more and more new lands, believing that this was the territory of Western India.

Columbus thought that he was following the wrong route after the expedition of Vasco de Gama. The traveler arrived in India and returned in a short time with rich goods, accusing Christopher of deceit.

Later it turned out that Columbus discovered the islands and the continental part of North and South America.

Which travelers discovered America earlier?

To say that Columbus became the discoverer of America is not entirely true. Before that, the Scandinavians landed on the lands: in 1000 - Leif Eriksson and in 1008 - Thorfinn Karlsefni. This is evidenced by the historical records "The Saga of the Greenlanders" and "The Saga of Eric the Red". There is other information about travel to the "New World". Traveler Abu Bakr II, a resident of the Celestial Empire Zheng He and a nobleman from Scotland, Henry Sinclair, arrived from Mali to America.

There is historical evidence that the Normans visited the New World in the 10th century after the discovery of Greenland. However, they failed to develop the territories due to severe weather conditions unsuitable for agriculture. In addition, the way from Europe was very long.

Visits to the mainland by the navigator Amerigo Vespucci, after whom the continent was named.

The question of who discovered America is probably the most difficult in the sense that it is difficult to dot all i's. You say: “Christopher Columbus”, and you answer: “Then why is America not called Colombia?” And you instantly get lost. And don’t let such a question still come up on the exam - it’s a disaster in general! Let's analyze this question: who really was the first to discover this incredible continent?

All versions

When we talk about the discovery of North and South America, we must not forget for whom the arrival of European navigators on the continent was a discovery. This was a discovery for Europeans who had been swarming in their Europe for more than a thousand years: at first they had a Hellenic civilization there (Greece and), then the gloomy Middle Ages came. They were busy burning witches at the stake, and far from searching for new lands.

Indeed, long before the Europeans (and before Columbus), America (for themselves) was discovered:

15,000 (fifteen thousand) years ago, back in the ice age, enterprising guys from Asia were most likely looking for warm places. Along the glacier that now connects Eurasia and North America, the Bering Strait, they came to the continent. And they became a local, autochthonous population. And Columbus called the local natives Indians because he thought he had discovered India!
In the VI century, the Irish sailed to North America, led by St. Brendan. Why would the Irish suddenly look for the New World is not clear, and there was no exact confirmation of this fact. Until in 1976, a desperate explorer Tim Siverin built an exact copy of the Irish boat and sailed here from Ireland on his own!
In the 10th century, the Vikings sailed here, who were avid sailors and most likely were looking for prey. So the search for prey led far southwest of Greenland, and they ended up here. Perhaps the first Vikings founded the first settlements of Europeans here! So in 1960, archaeologist Helge Ingstad discovered traces of such a settlement in Canada!
In the 15th century, the Chinese discovered South America before Columbus. So claimed British naval officer Gavin Menzies. The Chinese also looked for India to get rich and, according to the theory of the British, colonized South America.

I think now it has become clear to you for whom Columbus (if it was really him) discovered America - for Europeans.

Discovery of America

The reasons that pushed the Europeans to search for new lands were prosaic: the European market was overflowing with goods, colonies were needed to sell them. Europe was actively moving towards colonial capitalism. You can find other reasons in our article.

Spain - the strongest state of that Medieval Europe - was no exception. The crown actively sponsored all the expeditions of various swindlers who promised to open new lands for it. Since the name of the navigator who discovered America is Christopher Columbus, let's take a closer look at his personality.

Christopher Columbus, famous navigator (1451-1506)

Christopher was actually from Genoa. In his youth he studied at the University of Pavia. Around 1474, the famous geographer and astronomer Paolo Toscanelli fired a bullet at Columbus in a letter that the path to India was actually shorter than all sorts of court rogues believe. Since that time, Christopher became interested in this event - to find a way to the legendary India. Further, Christopher traveled throughout Europe, collecting information about the location of this very India. As a result, in the mid-80s of the 15th century, he drew up his own project - the way to go there.

All discussions of this project came to nothing. Even a meeting with the king and queen yielded nothing. Columbus intends to move to France in the early 90s and try his luck there. But Queen Isabella still understood what Spain could lose. As a result, the expedition was nevertheless equipped.

America was discovered to Europeans during the first expedition of 1492-1493. She consisted of three ships: Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta. Just 1492 is considered the year of the discovery of America.

Amerigo Vespucci (1454 - 1512)

The remaining three expeditions were exploratory: Europeans explored new terrain. Columbus himself was sure until the end of his life that he had discovered India. So why did the New World come to be called America? Who discovered it: Columbus or Vespucci?

The fact is that in 1499, the cheerful old man Amerigo Vespucci went on one of the expeditions to the New World. The old man went to assess the financial possibilities of the New World, made notes and, most importantly, made a serious map of the new continent.

So in 1507 the cartographer Martin Waldseemüller suggested naming the new continents after this jolly old man. That's why America is called that.

Sincerely, Andrey Puchkov

The most important event in the history of the great geographical discoveries, and indeed in world history in general, was discovery of America by Columbus- an event as a result of which the inhabitants of Europe discovered two continents, called the New World, or America.

The confusion began with the names of the continents. There is strong evidence for the version that the lands of the New World were named after the Italian patron Richard America from Bristol, who financed the transatlantic expedition of John Cabot in 1497. The Florentine traveler Amerigo Vespucci, who visited the New World only in 1500 and after whom America is believed to have been named, took a nickname in honor of the already named continent.

In May 1497, Cabot reached the shores of Labrador, becoming the first officially registered European to set foot on American soil, two years ahead of Amerigo Vespucci. Cabot mapped the coast of North America from New England to Newfoundland. In the Bristol calendar for that year we read: “... on the day of St. John the Baptist found the land of America by merchants from Bristol, who arrived on a ship with the name "Matthew".

Christopher Columbus - discovery of America

Christopher Columbus is considered the official discoverer of the continents of the New World. He was originally from Italy, arrived in Spain from Portugal. Having found a familiar monk in a monastery near the city of Palos, Columbus told him that he had decided to sail to Asia by a new sea route - across the Atlantic Ocean. He was admitted to an audience with Queen Isabella, who, after his report, appointed a scientific council to discuss the project. The members of the council were mostly clerics. Columbus passionately defended his project. He referred to the evidence of ancient scientists about the sphericity of the Earth, to a copy of the map of the famous Italian astronomer Toscanelli, which depicted many islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and behind them - the eastern shores of Asia. He convinced the learned monks that the legends spoke of a land beyond the ocean, from the shores of which sea currents sometimes bring tree trunks with traces of their processing by people. Columbus was an educated man: knew how to make maps, drive ships, knew four languages. He managed to convince the academic council of the validity of his expectations.

The rulers of Spain believed the traveler and decided to conclude an agreement with Columbus, according to which, if successful, he would receive the title of admiral and viceroy of the lands he discovered, as well as a significant part of the profits from trade with countries where he would be able to visit. Thus began the era of geographical exploration and discovery, which began with the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.

Discovery of America by Columbus: year 1492

On August 3, 1492, three ships "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina" with 90 participants set sail from the port of Paloe. The crews of the ships consisted mainly of convicted criminals. It has been 33 days since the expedition left the Canary Islands, and the land was still not visible. The team started murmuring. To calm her down, Columbus wrote down the distances traveled in the ship's log, deliberately underestimating them.

On October 12, 1492, sailors saw a dark strip of land on the horizon. It was a small island with lush tropical vegetation. Tall people with dark skin lived here. The natives called their island Guanahani. Columbus named it San Salvador and declared it a possession of Spain. This name stuck to one of the Bahamas. Columbus was in full confidence that he had reached Asia. Having visited other islands, he everywhere asked the locals whether it was Asia. But I did not hear anything consonant with this word. Columbus left some people on the island of Hispaniola, and he went to Spain. As proof that he opened the way to Asia, Columbus took with him several Indians, feathers of unseen birds, some plants, among them maize, potatoes and tobacco. On March 15, 1493, he was greeted as a hero in Palos.

Thus, the first visit by Europeans to the islands of Central America took place, as a result of which the foundation was laid for the further discovery of unknown lands, their conquest and colonization.

In the 20th century, scientists turned their attention to information suggesting that contacts between the Old World and the New took place long before the famous discovery of America by Columbus.

In addition to the hypotheses about the settlement of America by the “ten tribes of Israel”, as well as by the Atlanteans, there is a number of weighty scientific evidence that America was visited long before Columbus. Some researchers even argue that the culture of the Indians was brought from outside, from the Old World. In academic science, the theory that the civilizations of the Americas developed almost completely independently before 1492 has a larger number of supporters.

Hypotheses about visiting America by the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Chinese, Japanese and Celts remain unconfirmed, however, there is fairly reliable data on visiting America by Polynesians, preserved in their legends; in addition, it is known that the Chukchi established an exchange of fur and whalebone with the ancient population of the northwestern American coast, but it is impossible to establish the exact date of the beginning of these contacts. Europeans also visited the American continent during the Viking Age. Scandinavian contacts with the New World began around 1000 AD and continued until about the 14th century.

The name of the Scandinavian navigator and ruler of Greenland, Leif I Ericsson the Happy, is associated with the discovery of America. This European discovered North America five centuries before Columbus. His campaigns are known from the Icelandic sagas preserved in such manuscripts as the Saga of Eric the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders. Their authenticity was confirmed by archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

Leif Eriksson was born in Iceland in the family of Erik the Red, who was expelled from Norway along with his entire family. Eric's family in 982 was forced to leave Iceland, fearing blood feuds, and settle in new colonies in Greenland. Leif Eriksson had two brothers, Thorvald and Thorstein, and one sister, Freydis. Leif was married to a woman named Thorgunna. They had one son - Thorkell Leifsson.

Before his trip to America, Leif made a trading expedition to Norway. Here he was baptized by the King of Norway, Olaf Tryggvason, an ally of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv. Leif brought a Christian bishop to Greenland and baptized its inhabitants. His mother and many Greenlanders converted to Christianity, but his father, Eric the Red, remained a pagan. On the way back, Leif rescued the wrecked Icelander Thorir, for which he received the nickname Leif the Lucky. On his return, he met a Norwegian named Bjarni Herjulfsson in Greenland, who said that he saw the outline of the earth in the west far out to sea. Leif became interested in this story and decided to explore new lands.

Around the year 1000, Leif Eriksson sailed west with a crew of 35 on a ship bought from Bjarni. They discovered three regions of the American coast: Helluland (probably the Labrador Peninsula), Markland (possibly Baffin Island) and Vinland, which got its name from a large number of vines. Presumably it was the coast of Newfoundland. Several settlements were founded there, where the Vikings stayed for the winter.

Upon his return to Greenland, Leif gave the ship to his brother Thorvald, who instead went to explore Vinland further. Thorvald's expedition was unsuccessful: the Scandinavians collided with the Skralings - North American Indians, and in this clash Thorvald died. If you believe the Icelandic legends, according to which Erik and Leif made their campaigns not at random, but based on the stories of such eyewitnesses as Bjarni, who saw unknown lands on the horizon, then in a sense America was discovered even before the year 1000. However, it was Leif who first made a full-fledged expedition along the coast of Vinland, gave him a name, landed on the coast and even tried to colonize it. According to the stories of Leif and his people, which formed the basis of the Scandinavian "Saga of Eric the Red" and "The Saga of the Greenlanders", the first maps of Vinland were compiled.

This information, preserved by the Icelandic sagas, was confirmed in 1960, when archaeological confirmation of the early settlement of the Vikings was discovered in the town of L "ans-o-Meadows on the island of Newfoundland. The discovery of America by Columbus at that time was really a discovery, because they are nothing about the New World did not know. But Columbus was not the discoverer in the full sense of the word. At present, the study of the territory of North America by the Vikings long before the travels of Columbus is considered to be a finally proven fact. Scholars have agreed that the Vikings among Europeans were indeed the first to discover North America, but the exact place their settlement is still unknown.At first, the Vikings did not distinguish between their settlement in Greenland and Vinland, on the one hand, and Iceland, on the other.The feeling of different worlds came to them only after meeting with local tribes, very different from the Irish monks in Iceland: The Saga of Eric the Red and The Saga of Grenlan dtsah" were written about 250 years after the colonization of Greenland and tell that there were several attempts to establish a settlement in Vinland, but none of them lasted more than two years. There are several possible reasons why the Vikings left the settlements, among which are disagreements among the male colonists regarding the few women who accompanied the journey, and armed skirmishes with the locals, whom the Vikings called skraling. Both of these factors are indicated in written sources.

Until the 19th century, historians considered the idea of Viking settlements in North America exclusively in the context of the national folklore of the Scandinavian peoples. The first scientific theory appeared in 1837 thanks to the Danish historian and antiquary Carl Christian Rafn. In his book American Antiquities, Rafn conducted a comprehensive examination of the sagas and explored possible sites on the American coast, as a result of which he concluded that the country of Vinland, discovered by the Vikings, really existed. History continues to lift the veil of its secrets. Scientists have yet to verify the likelihood and time of an even earlier discovery of America and contact with this continent by immigrants from the Old World.