Leif Ericson discovers America in the year 1000. In our early childhood many of us learned to repeat the lines: Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. We thought that he was the first European to visit America. But nearly five hundred years before his time Leif Ericson had discovered the New World. He was a Northman and the son of Eric the Red. Eric had already founded a colony in Greenland, and Leif sailed from Norway to make him a visit. This was in the year 1000. Day after day Leif and his men were tossed about on the sea until they reached an unknown land where they found many grapevines. They called it Vinland or Wineland. They then sailed northway and reached Greenland in safety. Precisely where Vinland was is not known. But it certainly was part of North America. Leif Ericson, the Northman, was therefore the real discoverer of America.
不過，這個說法的真實性是不能和哥倫布發現美洲相比的，因為它的資料來源不是出自於純粹的歷史學著作，而是一部帶有家族傳奇性質的文學作品——《冰島傳說》（Sagas of Icelanders）。這部書記述了9—11世紀傳說時代的冰島故事，主要記錄的早期殖民者在冰島的活動，一般認為它最終成書於13至14世紀。不過，既便《冰島傳說》記載是真的，列夫·埃裡克森一生主要的事蹟是在格陵蘭島活動，發現北美大陸對他來說只是一個“意外”，哥倫布發現美洲，引發歐洲列強對新大陸的殖民活動，從而引起世界歷史的大轉折，而列夫的Vinland在歷史上沒有產生任何影響，跟哥倫布的歷史意義還是沒法比的。
這個問題目前最流行的說法是北歐人列夫·埃裡克森（Leif Ericson），美國中學教科書的第一章就講了這個問題，摘引如下：
Leif Ericson discovers America in the year 1000. In our early childhood many of us learned to repeat the lines: Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. We thought that he was the first European to visit America. But nearly five hundred years before his time Leif Ericson had discovered the New World. He was a Northman and the son of Eric the Red. Eric had already founded a colony in Greenland, and Leif sailed from Norway to make him a visit. This was in the year 1000. Day after day Leif and his men were tossed about on the sea until they reached an unknown land where they found many grapevines. They called it Vinland or Wineland. They then sailed northway and reached Greenland in safety. Precisely where Vinland was is not known. But it certainly was part of North America. Leif Ericson, the Northman, was therefore the real discoverer of America.從美國學生用的教科書中可以看到，美華人認為早在哥倫布發現新大陸的500年前，公元1000年的時候，就有北歐人列夫·埃裡克森（Leif Ericson）從格陵蘭島航海到了北美大陸，並且給他們抵達的地方取名“Vinland”(Wineland),儘管現在沒有人知道這個Vinland究竟是指的北美大陸的哪個地方，但美華人相信，列夫從格陵蘭島出發進行海上探險活動所發現的Vinland一定是北美大陸的一部分。因此在美國曆史教科書中列夫·埃裡克森取代哥倫布，成為第一真正發現美洲的人。
不過，這個說法的真實性是不能和哥倫布發現美洲相比的，因為它的資料來源不是出自於純粹的歷史學著作，而是一部帶有家族傳奇性質的文學作品——《冰島傳說》（Sagas of Icelanders）。這部書記述了9—11世紀傳說時代的冰島故事，主要記錄的早期殖民者在冰島的活動，一般認為它最終成書於13至14世紀。不過，既便《冰島傳說》記載是真的，列夫·埃裡克森一生主要的事蹟是在格陵蘭島活動，發現北美大陸對他來說只是一個“意外”，哥倫布發現美洲，引發歐洲列強對新大陸的殖民活動，從而引起世界歷史的大轉折，而列夫的Vinland在歷史上沒有產生任何影響，跟哥倫布的歷史意義還是沒法比的。