who actually discovered what we now know as the USA?

cm1179

cm1179

cm1179

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watching oz and one of the intro's talks about the vikings and our misconceptions of them (apparently they never wore horned helmets for one)

apparently the vikings discovered the US long before columbus and they made it as far down as what is now new york harbour. but they didn't stay and went back to scandinavia?
 
There's loads of different people accredited with it, Leif Ericson being one, and possibly taking the country's name from Amerigo Vespucci
 
What discovered realy means is when did america become recognized on the maps of the world in the west. This occurred before Columbus. People had traveled to the americas 1000s of years before columbus. How else would you explain the indigenous populations. Unless you would assert that the indigenous population of the americas traveled to that land at a time when they were not separated by oceans. That would seem highly unlikely based on the information we have about the time of human origin and the time that the land was not separated by ocean. The conclusion then would be that man traveled across the oceans a long time before columbus "discovered" it. Columbus was the first person to travel to the americas and come back and share the information amongst the population and have it accepted.
 
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cm1179 said:
watching oz and one of the intro's talks about the vikings and our misconceptions of them (apparently they never wore horned helmets for one)

apparently the vikings discovered the US long before columbus and they made it as far down as what is now new york harbour. but they didn't stay and went back to scandinavia?
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They didn't stay because they got their asses handed to them by the natives.
 
groen said:
Unless you would assert that the indigenous population of the americas traveled to that land at a time when they were not separated by oceans. That would seem highly unlikely based on the information we have about the time of human origin and the time that the land was not separated by ocean.
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Actually this is the generally accepted theory. During an Ice Age when the sea level was much lower there was a land bridge connecting asia with america where the Bering Straits are.
 
RDM said:
Actually this is the generally accepted theory. During an Ice Age when the sea level was much lower there was a land bridge connecting asia with america where the Bering Straits are.
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i assume this 'bridge' has now perished? i mean, just how much lower was the water level?
 
cm1179 said:
i assume this 'bridge' has now perished? i mean, just how much lower was the water level?
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Must be low enough to trek across. How else do you explain their facial features to people from Asia?

Where as the indigenous American Indians (I think) are likely to migrate from South America. Who got there first, I don't know since neither are people who build massive long lasting structures. One live in igloos and the other live in tents.
 
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