“Point is, it was Columbus’ voyage which opened up the Americas to Europe and changed history. Leiff’s voyage is just a blip which no one took notice of.”
Ericson’s charts were part of the body of the best chart-knowledge when Columbus sailed. The charts showed Columbus there was something there, and that it had and could be reached.
Columbus is credited with being a businessman/sea captain that got finance from Isabella, and assembled the known “science” (charts) of the day—both needed for a successful voyage.
I credit all of the early explorers, for they were amazing people, including their crews.
So Scandinavians can be justifiably proud of Ericson’s part.
At that time, the Scandinavians sailed to many distant places, including the Volga River in Russia, around to the Mediterranean, etc.
Their imprint on history is huge, particularly considering their small numbers.
“At that time, the Scandinavians sailed to many distant places, including the Volga River in Russia...”
There is a really interesting history movie on Ukraine - several hours long. Vikings raided and ruled Ukraine for awhile. I never knew that (and my grandparents, all from Norway, probably didn’t either!).