- Although he did not explore the mainland until 1001 AD, he was already known for his exploration of Greenland the previous year.
Leif was born around 970 AD in Iceland to Eirik the Red, who had been exiled to Greenland after being convicted of murder. In 985 AD, Eirik led an expedition to Greenland and founded the first Norse settlement there, Brattahlid.
- In 1000 AD, Leif set out from Brattahlid with his crew to explore further west. According to the Icelandic sagas, he reached a land he called "Vinland" which was most likely Newfoundland, Canada.
- After returning to Greenland, Leif told tales of his journey to North America, and several more expeditions were launched to Vinland in the following decades. However, none of these later attempts at settlement were successful and the Norse presence in North America eventually died out.
- Despite this, Leif Erikson is still remembered as the first European to discover the New World.