Leif Erikson is widely regarded as the first European to reach North America. Around the year 1000, Norse explorers sailed west from Greenland and reached a land they called Vinland.
The Icelandic sagas describe Leif’s voyage, while archaeological evidence at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland confirms that Norse people established a settlement there. The site includes remains of turf buildings and ironworking activity.
The phrase “first European” refers to the earliest known European arrival supported by both written tradition and archaeology. Christopher Columbus reached the Caribbean in 1492, centuries later, but his voyages opened sustained European contact and colonization on a much larger scale.