OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaLeif Erikson was a brave Viking explorer who sailed the cold seas! He was one of the very first explorers from Europe to visit North America. Leif Erikson was a true Viking hero who loved big adventures!
A long time ago, around the year 1000, Leif sailed his ship all the way to North America! He called the new land Vinland because he found so many yummy wild grapes growing there. This was about 500 years before Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas! Leif and his crew built houses and spent the winter in this new land before sailing back home.
- Leif Erikson reached North America about 500 years before Christopher Columbus!
- He called the land he found “Vinland” because of all the wild grapes he discovered.
- October 9th is Leif Erikson Day in the United States, celebrating this brave Viking explorer!
