When did the Europeans land in the USA or North America ?
Although there have been suggestions that Europeans landed in the USA Prior to the 1500s...such as the Vikings..
I think many thought that it was Christopher Columbus who discovered it in 1492.
But I believe that Columbus never actually landed in North America. It was actually South America and Central America as well as various nearby Islands over 3 separate vogues.
He mainly discovered some Caribbean Islands and maybe later landed in South America rather than North America.
QuoteWe celebrate Columbus Day to honor the man who "discovered" our country. But actually, Columbus never reached this nation.
On his first two voyages to the New World, Columbus landed on a number of Caribbean islands. On his third voyage, he touched South America, and his fourth journey took him to Central America.
But not once did Columbus ever set foot on the territory we now call the United States!
http://superbeefy.com/did-columbus-ever-land-in-the-united-states/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus
Some other comment suggest that it may have been Ponce de Leon. He was from Spain and explored a little bit of Florida as early as 1513. This was 21 years AFTER the famous Columbus date of 1492...
QuoteBest Answer: Clarification: You DO mean what is now the continental United States, and not Canada or Mexico, don't you?
It was probably some now unknown Spanish sailor who hopped out of long boat (a boat manned by oars and rowers that transported the men from the larger sailing ship to shore) to pull it in closer so the crew and officers would not get their feet and legs very wet when disembarking from the boat. He probably landed somewhere on the Florida coast. The unknown sailor was most likely with the expedition led by Ponce de Leon to Florida, with the goal to find the legendary Fountain of Youth, in 1513. Ponce de Leon was the first known Spanish explorer to visit an area that is now in the USA.
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AwrBT8aviBxXINgAuklXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyOXQ4aDM0BGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDQjE3NjNfMQRzZWMDc2M-?qid=20110204140434AA9ZP26
QuoteRumors of undiscovered islands to the northwest of Hispaniola had reached Spain by 1511, and Ferdinand was interested in forestalling further exploration and discovery by Colón. In an effort to reward Ponce de León for his services, Ferdinand urged him to seek these new lands outside the authority of Colón. Ponce de León readily agreed to a new venture, and in February 1512 a royal contract was dispatched outlining his rights and authorities to search for "the Islands of Benimy".[31]
The contract stipulated that Ponce de León held exclusive rights to the discovery of Benimy and neighboring islands for the next three years. He would be governor for life of any lands he discovered, but he was expected to finance for himself all costs of exploration and settlement. In addition, the contract gave specific instructions for the distribution of gold, Native Americans, and other profits extracted from the new lands. Notably, there was no mention of a rejuvenating fountain.[32][33]
Ponce de León equipped three ships with at least 200 men at his own expense and set out from Puerto Rico on March 4, 1513. The only near contemporary description known for this expedition comes from Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas, a Spanish historian who apparently had access to the original ships' logs or related secondary sources from which he created a summary of the voyage published in 1601.[34][35] The brevity of the account and occasional gaps in the record have led historians to speculate and dispute many details of the voyage.
The three ships in this small fleet were the Santiago, the San Cristobal and the Santa Maria de la Consolacion. Anton de Alaminos was their chief pilot. He was already an experienced sailor, and would become one of the most respected pilots in the region. After leaving Puerto Rico, they sailed northwest along the great chain of Bahama Islands, known then as the Lucayos. On March 27, Easter Sunday, they sighted an island that was unfamiliar to the sailors on the expedition. Because many Spanish seamen were acquainted with the Bahamas, which had been depopulated by slaving ventures, some scholars believe that this "island" was actually Florida, as it was thought to be an island for several years after its formal discovery.[36] Other scholars have speculated that this island was one of the northern Bahama islands, perhaps Great Abaco.[37]
For the next several days the fleet crossed open water until April 2, 1513, when they sighted land which Ponce de León believed was another island. He named it La Florida in recognition of the verdant landscape and because it was the Easter season, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida (Festival of Flowers). The following day they came ashore to seek information and take possession of this new land.[38] The precise location of their landing on the Florida coast has been disputed for many years. Some historians believe it occurred at St. Augustine;[39] others prefer a more southern landing at a small harbor now called Ponce de León Inlet;[38] but many now agree that Ponce came ashore even farther south near the present location of Melbourne Beach.[40][41][42] The latitude coordinate recorded in the ship's log closest to the landing site, reported by Herrera, was 30 degrees, 8 minutes, most likely exaggerated to enforce land claims to justify the removal of French Protestants nearly 50 years later. This sighting was recorded at noon the day before with either a quadrant or a mariner's astrolabe, and the expedition sailed north for the remainder of the day before anchoring for the night and rowing ashore the following morning. This latitude corresponds to a spot north of St. Augustine between what is now the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve and Ponte Vedra Beach.[36]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n