Leif Erikson landed on North America around the year 1000, five centuries before Columbus, discovering a continent with essentially inexhaustible food and timber resources.

73:40timber and everything he needs. It's the perfect place. Unfortunately for him, it's also inhabited by some natives, probably the Algonquin tribe. He calls them the Skraelings, which is just Norse for screechers because he can't understand their language. They just yell at them and attack immediately. They stay there for three years and then give up and go back home. So ultimately, it... and then really don't tell anyone about it.

74:08They just keep it in their northern sagas. - Why do you think they left? Why do you think they didn't stick around longer? - I think there are a number of things working against them. Of course, I would like to believe there's an alternate history where the Vikings successfully make it down, you know, maybe down to Maryland or something, and there's an alternate history of the US and Canada here, but I think there's a number of things

74:31working against them. The first is they stubbornly refused to give up husbandry, so they're trying to make this work. L'Anse aux Meadows I think is where they were, in Newfoundland. It doesn't work. The climate's too cold. It's not... the grasses aren't appropriate, you know, it's just not gonna work and they do not adapt, number one. Number two, they're 2,000-plus miles away from Norway and getting resupplied, and although they are extremely good sailors and explorers

74:59and traders, I think this is a little too far. And then thirdly is the native resistance. It's just too incessant. They are outnumbered, you know, millions to one. And the Algonquin do not want them there. It's clear, and they're not gonna stop attacking. - It's so fascinating because they really didn't understand the full scale of the land they've encountered, right? - That's right. That's right. I mean, had they known, had he known-

75:29... what he had found- - That there's more south. Maybe they, their intuition- - That's right. - ... was like there's not... it's just all northern land, it's void of resources. We can't do the whole husbandry thing. But you would think they could go down the coast. - I mean, if they could have gotten enough people from Norway, you know, or Iceland or whatever, you know, a sizable enough colony,