Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Christopher Columbus did not “discover” North America—millions of people were already living there when he arrived in 1492. Archaeological and genetic evidence shows that the first humans migrated from Siberia across the Bering Land Bridge at least 15,000–20,000 years ago, eventually spreading throughout the continents.
By the time of European contact, diverse societies thrived: the Ancestral Puebloans in the Southwest, the Mississippian culture centered at Cahokia, the Iroquois Confederacy in the Northeast, and countless other nations with complex agriculture, trade networks, and political systems.
Norse explorers led by Leif Erikson reached Newfoundland around 1000 CE, establishing a short‑lived settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows. Columbus’s voyages, however, initiated sustained contact that led to colonization, disease, and profound demographic upheaval.
Recognizing the deep history of Indigenous peoples is essential for an accurate understanding of the continent’s past.