This blog post was written by Rick Shenkman, the founder of George Washington University’s History News Network, and the author of Political Animals: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics (Basic Books). 

Trick question.  Who discovered America?

Because we live in the enlightened 21st century we know the answer isn't Christopher Columbus.

Score one victory for Political Correctness.

This is why in Seattle where I live the day is now commemorated as Indigenous People's Day.

But who was the first European to discover that people lived in North America and that North America existed?

The answer is Bjarni Herjólfsson.

I tell the story in my TLC series, Myth America, which was first broadcast 25 years ago.

You can watch it here.

It runs 30 minutes.

(You can watch the other shows in the series I've made available so far by clicking on this Twitter thread.)