Seven times people discovered the Americas – and how they got there

By Nicholas R. Longrich, Senior Lecturer in Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Bath

When Columbus landed in 1492, the Americas had been settled for tens of thousands of years. He wasn’t the first person to discover the continent. Instead, his discovery was the last of many discoveries.

In all, people found the Americas at least seven different times. For at least six of those, it wasn’t so new after all. The discoverers came by sea and by land, bringing new genes, new languages, new technologies. Some stayed, explored, and built empires. Others went home, and left few hints they’d ever been there.

From last to first, here’s the story of how we discovered…

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