Explorers Did Columbus Really Discover America?

Christopher Columbus is given credit for discovering the New World, but was he really the first person to step foot in this new land. What about the Native Americas? What about Leif Ericson? Or what about Americus Vespucius? 

 Approximately 20,000 years ago, the first Native Americans came over a land bridge between Asia and North America. This bridge was over 1,000 miles wide. In 1492 about one million American Indians lived in the United States and Canada and about twenty million Indians lived in South America. 

 In 1000 A. D. sailors from Norway called Vikings traveled from Iceland to Greenland. They were led by Eric the Red. Eric the Red founded a colony on Greenland. Later his son, Leif Ericson, led a group to Newfoundland in Canada. Unfortunately no maps were made of these travels; however, in 1965 a Viking map dated 1440 was found. The Viking map showed parts of northeastern Canada.

 About the same time Columbus was making his third voyage, another explorer sailed for North America. His name was Americus Vespucius. Vespucius made maps of his travels. A German school teacher who was writing a new geography book found these maps. The school teacher called the New World America in honor of Vespucius. 

 So who really discovered America?.