Verified answer

Yes.

You may call it a re-discovery if you like, but it was a discover none-the-less, and a ground-breaking one. In 1491, no one in Europe, China, India, the near or far east were making any vacation plans for the Jersey shore. The people of Columbus' day were not aware of new landmasses in the west, and sailors did not venture west because of the limitations of food and water and because of the great unknown nature of what was out there. The world as flat was largely deconstructed by Columbus's time and most educated men assumed a spherical world, but the great question was how large a globe was it, and I'm sure more than a few had some question of what if, just what if, it weren't spherical, could such a voyage ever make it home or run out of supplies and die at sea?

The Vikings did find the American shores long before Columbus, and their chronicles were long-since forgotten relics of a bygone era. None of Leif Erikson's descendents knew any better than Columbus that a new world lay beyond the Atlantic - they had only myths and legends, of which Vinland and Greenland had by the 13th and 14th centuries become. If Henry of Bulgaria sets out in his boat and discovers Cape Cod, that's great for him. But it doesn't mean a thing if future generations don't know that he rowed his boat to a New World. The Danes and Norwegians did an amazing feat by discovering the New World, but they didn't foster an intellectual class long enough to pass that knowledge down to future generations and spread this as common knowledge. For all we know Aristotle could have had a kumquat fall on his head and discovered the theory of gravity. And he may well have written it down and all of the ancient world knew of gravity and were not afraid of floating away to the moon on any given Tuesday. But when Newton discovered this theory, he made a point to publish his theory, to circulate it so that others would know and as of yet haven't forgotten. So we credit Newton, and Aristotle's kumquat is at best a historical footnote.

Now, for the lady who had sausage and peppers in Pawling, neither she nor Poughkeepsie has any legitimate claim to Pawling unless others agree sticking a flag anywhere is claim enough. It's only legitimate if a.) others agree to the rules of claiming territory, or b.) you're a stronger force than those who disagree and may do whatever you so please. Pawling was claimed by the Dutch in the 17th century, and by the English in the late 17th, by the colony and then state of New York in the 18th, and by the county of Dutchess soon after. I may stick my royal toothpick in her sausage and peppers, but unless I have the law on my side or am strong enough to take her sausage and peppers by force, I really don't have a claim to it. According to the practice of the time, any unclaimed lands (and the Natives on those lands did not adopt the European system of claiming territory, and in any case were the weaker party) could be claimed in the name of the monarch. As long as the land was explored, some semblence of survey and promise of settlement or use of business could be made, then that land could be rightfully (in the laws of European powers at the time) claimed and respected by other powers, so long as the other powers didn't fancy themselves strong enough to take the claimed lands by force (which they did, which is why NY, CT, NJ and DE aren't Dutch today).

Finally, he did not just discover "a bunch of islands", he explored the coast of Venezuela on his third voyage and made landfall in Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama on his fourth voyage.

It's really belittling the credit we fail to afford Columbus in our p.c. era. Wikipedia's entry merely credits him with "bringing public awareness to Europe of the New World".. which trivializes the use of the term "discover" - what is a discovery then if not to make yourself and/or others aware of something that they were not aware of beforehand? Why have this word in our dictionary, as nothing could thus be discovered if it's already there, just without "public awareness". Public awareness! Yeesh, as if it were national fitness awareness week? What a slap to the face. On what was considered a suicide mission by his peers, he set out to connect our globe and discovered a second half of our world in the process. Without Columbus, our world would look dramatically different. He altered the world we live in by what he revealed, even if he didn't fully comprehend it at the time. THAT's discovery.

They say Viking did first. Columbus discover Some Islands in Gulf of Mexico, he was the first to colonize them, Amerigo Vaspuci Discover America hence the name.

No, he didnt in fact they are not even sure if the Vikings were the first there is evidence saying the Phonecians, Ancient Greeks, Romans (including Roman coins and Greek writings in American) did first.

no there were already people here. I've never been to pawling before, you've probly never heard of pawling but i went there yesterday and brought a sausage and peppers hero. I should have stcuk my flag in the ground and claimed the land in the name of poughkeepsie.

vikings found Canada, Columbus found islands

the earth has been around for 4 billion years now.

it was a matter to find the new Continents.

no

the scandinavian people already know about the new world