Around the year 1000, explorer Leif Erikson crossed west from Greenland and made his way down the coast to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Viking activity in the Americas has been more precisely dated to 1021 by scientists examining a Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. But there is more to the story of Norse exploration of North America.

Historian, writer, and BBC broadcaster Eleanor Barraclough digs into other evidence, such as an annal entry from the 14th century describing a ship that got blown by a storm from Labrador to Iceland. Barraclough also delves into the 19th-century afterlife of Viking adventures, when forgeries and fake Viking runestones, weapons, and armor turned up in areas where many people had Scandinavian roots. In addition, she discusses the Viking name and its cultural relevance in modern culture—including some traditions of the Minnesota Vikings.

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