The History books say that the first European to contact the Native Americans was Christopher Columbus. New evidence tells a different story. Centuries earlier, a civilization had already beaten him there. They were the Norse, a seafaring people that originated in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. They were the Vikings.

The History books say that the first European to contact the Native Americans was Christopher Columbus. New evidence tells a different story. Centuries earlier, a civilization had already beaten him there. They were the Norse, a seafaring people that originated in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. They were the Vikings.