Wednesday marks the observance of Leif Erikson Day, which honors the life of the first European to discover North America over a millennium ago Christian Post reported.
"Today, we commemorate Leif Erikson's journey," United States president Barack Obama said in a press release on the White House website. "We also honor a group of Norwegian immigrants who summoned that same striving spirit centuries later. Together, in 1825, they braved uncertain waters with hope in their hearts, confident that greater opportunity and brighter horizons awaited them on American shores. The travelers were among the first to complete the voyage from Norway to New York City. And just as Leif Erikson had, they lit the way for generations to follow.
Leif Erikson Day is celebrated annually on Oct. 9, and commemorates the day when the ship, Restauration arrived in New York City after it sailed for three months from Stavenger, Norway. While the day was declared in 1825, Erickson is considered to be the first person to discover America in the year in 1000 before Italian explorer Christopher Columbus arrived to the Americas in 1492.
According to Epoch Times, Erikson was born in 970 AD to Erik the Red, a Norweigan outlaw, and explorer who founded colonies in Greenland.
Erikson traveled from Greenland to Norway in 999 where he converted to Christianity. The next year, in 1000, after hearing word of land west of the country, he bought a ship and got a 35-man crew together to explore the area, which would end up being called Vinland prior to its current name of North America. After exploring the area, the crew then settled on L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada, which wasn't discovered until 1960.
Before Newfoundland which is now all a part of Canada, Erikson may have been to other places such as Baffin Island in the Arctic Archipelago, and Canada's Labrador region Christian Post reported. There is also evidence that Erikson may have also visited what is now Minnesota according to controversial archaeological finds like the Kensington Runestone. However, these theories have not been proven.
