Though it was long believed that in 1492 Christopher Columbus was the first European to reach North America, we now know that about 500 years earlier the Viking explorer Leif Ericson had already set foot upon its northern shores. Even more remarkable, Leif Ericson’s arrival in North America was the culmination of 200 years of Viking exploration and settlement in the North Atlantic. Leif Ericson’s father, Eric the Red, had explored and established a settlement in Greenland in the year 985 and it lasted 500 years. Through two primary source activities and a short video, students will understand the achievements and significance of these Vikings’ explorations and discovery.