h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Evidence does point to Columbus knowing he hadn't made a trip to Asia, such as his diaries and letters.

There have been a scattering of Roman coins found at various sites throughout Central and South America.

The Mayans built 10-20ft tall basalt statues of caucasian and african heads that sit on the eastern shores facing east. This would support a phoenecian theory of discovery.

It is possible that the "native americans" arrived at many different times and many different places. The polynesians had settled remote places like Hawaii and Easter Island, so it would have been extremely possible for them to have reached the Americas also. To date, archealogical data is too imprecise and incomplete to actually establish a pattern of migration across either continent.

The names of the vikings who actually led those voyages were different. I don't remember them off the top of my head, but I'll get them for you if you'd like.

Not trying to be nitpicky, just making a couple of suggestions based upon the evidence that I've heard of and remember.

Decent entry though, gives a nice and quick run through of the exploration of the Americas.

Thanks for those notes! I'll look into the Mayan statue thing. What you say about polynesians is of course true, but I've never heard of the Polynesians going further east than Easter Island, which is still far from South America.

I'm sure of the names of the Vikings.