Did a 6th-Century Irishman Really Reach America?

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 26 July 2017

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Archeological evidence proves that Leif Ericsson, the Icelandic Viking, arrived in the New World centuries before Columbus. But what if he was in turn beaten by an Irish monk a full five extra centuries. St. Brendan the Navigator is celebrate for his legendary journey to the "Island of the Blessed," described in the ninth-century work Voyage of St Brendan the Navigator. It tells of how he set out onto the Atlantic Ocean with dozens of pilgrims, accidentally camped out on a whale, and may have reached New England. For centuries historians dismissed his account as fiction. But true accounts sneak here. There are factual descriptions of sheep on the Faroe Islands. Volcanos and icebergs of Iceland are observed. Some archeologists even think there is evidence of a medieval Celtic church in New England. Find out in this episode if Leif Ericsson has lost his status as the first Westerner to reach the New World. TO HELP OUT THE SHOW Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher

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0:00.0	They were some of the most powerful men who've ever lived.
0:02.8	They waged war, forged peace, and altered the fates of billions of people,
0:06.9	and yet they were just as human, just as flawed as you and me.
0:10.6	They were the presidents of the United States, and they are the subjects of the history podcast
0:15.0	this American president. In each episode of this American president, we explore how flawed men
0:20.5	have managed this awesome responsibility. To listen now, go to pathanonpodcast.com or search
0:26.8	this American president on your favorite podcast platform.
0:30.0	The history of the Popes of Rome and Christianity reaches into nearly every aspect of history.
0:36.4	In the history of the papacy podcast, we step over the rope. We dive into discover more about the
0:42.6	people events and background that define the influence of the Popes of Rome and church not only
0:48.0	on the west, but the world. To start listening now, go to pathanonpodcast.com or search for
0:55.8	history of the papacy on your favorite podcast platform.
1:02.8	Welcome to the history unplugged podcast. The unscripted show that celebrates unsung heroes,
1:09.4	Mythbust's historical lies, and rediscoveres the forgotten stories that changed our world.
1:16.0	I'm your host, Scott Rank.
1:18.6	Hi everyone. Welcome to another in-between episode where I answer any question you have about history.
1:28.0	Today's question comes to us from James Early. James is the editor of the Facebook site American
1:33.8	History Fanatics, which I recommend you check out. And he asks me to talk about Brendan the Navigator.
1:42.0	Okay, who is Brendan the Navigator? Brendan is a figure, some say real life, some say legendary,
1:50.4	who is believed to have taken a voyage from Ireland in the sixth century to Iceland,
1:56.2	to Greenlands, and possibly down to the New World. The legend goes like this.
2:02.4	After the death of St. Patrick in 461, 50 years later there was another Celtic saint named
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