• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / History / When did Viking explorer Leif Ericson discover North America and did he have any brothers?

When did Viking explorer Leif Ericson discover North America and did he have any brothers?

April 12, 2020 by Karen Hill

Viking and Norse explorer Leif Eriksson had two brothers, Thorvald and Thorstein.

He also had a sister named Freydis.

Leif Ericson, or Leifr EirĂ­ksson, is regarded as the first European to land in North America five hundred years before Christopher Columbus.

Leif was born about AD 970 in Iceland, the son of Erik Thorvaldsson, known as Erik the Red, also a Norse explorer.

The United States Congress authorized the president to proclaim October 9 as “Leif Erikson Day” in 1964.

Related Facts

  • When Did NASA's Viking Space Probe Land On the Planet Mars and Did the Viking 2 Lander Find Any Life On Mars?
  • Where does the word "Viking" come from and What does Viking mean in Old Norse and Icelandic?
  • How Many Explorer Satellites Were Launched Into Space and What Was the Purpose of the Explorer Space Program?
  • Which Highway Runs From North America Through Central America and Into South America?
  • Where Is the North Star, What Is the Name of the North Star, and Will the North Star Always Be the Polestar?
  • Did Adolf Hitler have any brothers and sisters?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Why was Sir Walter Raleigh sentenced to death by King James I of England?
Next Post: Has anyone tried to fornicate in space? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy