Facts about Leif Ericson |
| Leif Ericson Fact 1 | Why was Leif Ericson famous and what part of America did he explore? He was a Northman and Viking, the son of Eric the Red who had founded a colony in Greenland. Leif Ericson is regarded as the first European to visit the New World.
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| Leif Ericson Fact 2 | He found many grape-vines and called it Vinland or Wineland
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| Leif Ericson Fact 3 | When was Leif Ericson born? He was born on c970
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| Leif Ericson Fact 4 | What was his country of origin and where was Leif Ericson born? He was born in Iceland but his ancestors came from Norway. His father had been banished from Norway
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| Leif Ericson Fact 5 | Leif Ericson made the journey to North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus was born
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| Leif Ericson Fact 6 | He established a colony in the land he called Vinland on the northern tip of Newfoundland
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| Leif Ericson Fact 7 | His father, Erik the Red, was a great explorer and founded the first Norse colonies in Greenland where Leif Ericson was raised
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| Leif Ericson Fact 8 | Leif Ericson had two sons called Thorgilsand Thorkell by a noble woman called Thorgunna.
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| Leif Ericson Fact 9 | The story and legend of Leif Ericson and his family has been passed down generations via the Viking sagas.
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| Leif Ericson Fact 10 | The Saga of Erik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders contain different accounts of the voyages to Vinland
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| Leif Ericson Fact 11 | Leif Ericson travelled to Norway in 999 and converted to Christianity
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| Leif Ericson Fact 12 | He was given the task of converting the people of Greenland to Christianity
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| Leif Ericson Fact 13 | Leif Ericson hard about new lands to the west and gathered a crew of 35 men to undertake a voyage of discovery.
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| Leif Ericson Fact 14 | His father, Erik the Red, planned to accompany Leif but Erik fell from his horse as it slipped on the wet rocks near the shore and was badly injured
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| Leif Ericson Fact 15 | The first place that he landed was believed to be Baffin Island.
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| Leif Ericson Fact 16 | His voyage of discovery continued and he landed in a densely forested land he called Markland - probably Labrador.
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| Leif Ericson Fact 17 | He then made a short journey to the place he called Vinland where he established a small settlement
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| Leif Ericson Fact 18 | Archaeological evidence suggests that Vinland may have been the areas around the Gulf of St. Lawrence
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| Leif Ericson Fact 19 | He returned to Greenland and fulfilled he promise to convert the inhabitants to Christianity
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| Leif Ericson Fact 20 | Leif Ericson died in Greenland in 1020
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| Leif Ericson Fact 21 | The story of the voyages and discoveries of Leif Ericson reached Europe and inspired later explorers to face the challenge of crossing the Atlantic in search of a 'New World'
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| Leif Ericson Fact 22 | President Calvin Coolidge made a speech to thousands of Americans that Leif Ericson had indeed been the first European to discover America
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| Leif Ericson Fact 23 | A Viking settlement was excavated at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland by archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad in the early 1960's
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Facts about Leif Ericson for Kids |
