Leif Eriksson was a famous Viking explorer from Iceland who is largely considered to have been the first European to set foot on the continent of North America. There is no longer any doubt that the Vikings did discover North America for the Europeans long before Christopher Columbus. The well-documented stories of Leif’s voyages seem to point to him as the leader of the first Norse expedition to North America. It is for this reason he is known and respected as an important historical person in both the history of North America and of Europe.
Leif Eriksson was the son of Erik the Red and Thjodhild. Erik was a well-known explorer in his own right, establishing the first European settlement in Greenland. Leif probably grew up on his family’s estate in eastern Greenland, called Brattahlio. He married a Norse noblewoman named Thorgunna, and had two known sons by her, Thorgils and Thorkell...