https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/they-were-people-who-took-chances-the-vikings-who-reached-the-americas-500-years-before-columbusContinuously updated, source-cited coverage. https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/they-were-people-who-took-chances-the-vikings-who-reached-the-americas-500-years-before-columbushttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/they-were-people-who-took-chances-the-vikings-who-reached-the-americas-500-years-before-columbus#u125605Fri, 16 Oct 2026 10:40:12 +0000Norse explorers crossed the Atlantic to reach North America around the year 1000, roughly five centuries before Christopher Columbus arrived. Archaeological confirmation centers on the L'Anse aux Meadows site in Newfoundland, Canada, which dates to approximately 1021 AD and likely functioned as a seasonal ship-repair station and overwintering base. While Greenland supported permanent farming colonies peaking at a population of 2,000 to 3,000, long-term settlements did not take root in the rest of North America. The transatlantic expansion relied on maritime expeditions for resources like