0 WHO CROSSED THE Atlantic first?

Most people think that Christopher Columbus was first to cross the Atlantic, reaching America in 1492. However, Vikings made the crossing 500 years before Columbus, and some historians think other brave
sailors did, too. Most of these early contestants in the transatlantic race sailed farther north than Columbus. The weather is colder and stormier here, but the journey is shorter, and they could stop off at islands, such as Iceland and Greenland on the way.

Racing line-up: 

Here are the contestants in the transatlantic race, set out in the order they are thought to have arrived in. While there is decisive evidence that the Vikings, for instance, did cross the Atlantic, some stories are probably little more than myths. 

1. Prehistoric French 

Similarities in stone tools and DNA suggest that French cavemen crossed the Atlantic more than 15,000 years ago. They may have traveled in canoes along the edge of the Arctic ice sheet. 

2. Ancient Jews
A 2,000-year-old stone dug up at Bat Creek, Tennessee, has writing on it that could be Hebrew. Some say this shows Jews reached North America thousands of years ago. Unlikely.

3. Ancient Romans A Roman ceramic was found near Mexico City, Mexico,
and Roman coins have been unearthed in Indiana and Ohio. The artifacts were most likely brought to America long after ancient Roman times.

4. Irish saint
Documents from the 9th century claim that Irish saint Brendon crossed the Atlantic in the 5th century in a leather boat. A replica boat built in 1977 proved it was possible.

Interesting:

 

 Kennewick Man The bones of a man who lived 9,000 years ago were unearthed in Kennewick, Washington, on the banks of the Columbia River. No one knows where Kennewick Man came from, but a reconstruction of his face revealed that he looked more like modern-day Europeans than Native Americans. Was he the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean?

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