To those who claim that Columbus did not discover America, they should note that at some point in history, the whole civilized world suddenly realized that there were two continents to the west. The Americas were thus dis-covered, that is un-covered.
Before Columbus, the existence of the Americas was known to few, after him, they were known to all.
Whether or not there were people already here, or that the Norsemen were aware that the Americas existed, Columbus deserves the credit for disseminating that information to the civilized world.
Columbus, and European society “documented” his discovery. No one else had to that point.