First Americans: Paleo-Indians Crossed Beringia ~15,000 Years Ago, Not Stone Age

There is no evidence of a "Stone Age" crossing from Asia to North America. The term "Stone Age" (Paleolithic) generally refers to Old World prehistory. Instead, the first humans entered the Americas via the Bering Land Bridge (Beringia) during the Last Glacial Maximum.

• When: ~15,000–20,000 years ago (genetic/archaeological consensus).
• Who: Paleo-Indians—ancestors of all Indigenous Americans.
• Route: From Siberia across exposed Beringia into Alaska, then south via ice-free corridor or coastal route.
• Culture: Lithic (stone tool) technology (Clovis, Folsom, etc.), but this is the American Paleo-Indian period, not the Eurasian Stone Age.

These populations spread rapidly throughout North and South America, diversifying into hundreds of distinct cultures long before European contact.