Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact

The 1421 theory of the Chinese discovery of the Americas originates from former British Royal Navy submarine commander Gavin Menzies. In his book, 1421: The Year China Discovered The World, Menzies suggests that ships commanded by the Chinese captains Zhou Wen (周聞), Zhou Man (周滿), Yang Qing (楊慶) and Hong Bao (洪保), in the fleet of Emperor Zhu Di's (朱棣) Admiral Zheng He (鄭和), travelled to many parts of the world during the Ming Dynasty era from 1421 to 1423, before the Europeans 'discovered' these places. ...more on Wikipedia about "1421 hypothesis"

Abubakari II was a prince of the Mali Empire, the successor of Mohammed ibn Gao and predecessor of Kankan Musa I. Abubakari II appears to have abdicated his throne in order to explore "the limits of the ocean"; however, his expedition never returned. Malian scholar Gaoussou Diawara has argued that he reached the Americas some time in the early 14th century, but these claims have not been widely accepted. ...more on Wikipedia about "Abubakari II"

America's Stonehenge, once known as Mystery Hill, is the site of a number of large rocks and stone formations scattered around roughly 30 acres (120,000 m²) in the town of Salem, New Hampshire, in the northeast United States. ...more on Wikipedia about "America's Stonehenge"

Antillia (or Antilia) was a phantom island said to lie in the Atlantic Ocean far to the west of Spain. This mythical island had several other names such as Isle of Seven Cities, Ilha das Sete Cidades ( Portuguese), Septe Cidades, Sanbrandan (or St Brendan), etc. Antillia was also identified with islands including the Isles of the Blest and the Fortunate Islands. ...more on Wikipedia about "Antillia"

Bacalao (also spelled Bacalhau, Bachalaos, Bacalhaos, Baccalieu, Baccalar) was a phantom island on several 16th century maps. It is mostly used to name Newfoundland. The name was first used on a map in 1508, but there are earlier accounts. The Portuguese navigator João Vaz Corte-Real was granted some lands on the Azores by the king of Portugal, because he had discovered Terra do Bacalhau. Furthermore Bartolomé de Las Casas wrote about Portuguese voyages to Tierra de los Bacallao. This has led some to believe that Corte-Real reached the Americas before Columbus. Bacalao literally means "dried codfish". Basque fisherman are said to have fished for cod at the Grand Banks of Newfoundland in the 15th century, so this is another possible origin of the name. ...more on Wikipedia about "Bacalao"

The Book of Mormon is one of four sacred texts of Mormonism, which also include the Bible, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants. First published by Joseph Smith, Jr. in March 1830 in Palmyra, New York, it stands as the central dividing doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and other Christian faiths. Adherents to its teachings are commonly referred to as Mormons. The book's self-declared purpose is to testify of Jesus, through the writings of ancient prophets of the Western Hemisphere, who traveled there from ancient Israel, probably between 600-650 BC. It asserts that it was abridged and compiled by the prophet/historian Mormon, and his son Moroni in the 4th century, for "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God." Joseph Smith is said to have translated the record by divine inspiration with assistance from the Urim and Thummim. ...more on Wikipedia about "Book of Mormon"

Saint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert ( c. 484 – c. 578) called "the Navigator" or "the Voyager", is one of the early Irish monastic saints whose legends have overshadowed their history. He was born in Ciarraight Luachra, near Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland, in 484 AD; he died at Enachduin, (now Annaghdown), in 577, aged 93. He was baptized at Tubrid, near Ardfert, by Bishop Erc. For five years he was educated under Saint Ita, "the Brigid of Munster", and he completed his studies under Erc, who ordained him priest in 512. Between the years 512 and 530 St. Brendan built monastic cells at Ardfert, and, at the foot of Brandon Hill, Shanakeel— Seana Cill, usually translated as "the old church"— also called Baalynevinoorach . It was from here that he set out on his famous seven years voyage for the Land of Delight. The old Irish Calendars assigned a special feast for the Egressio familiae S. Brendani, on 22 March; and St Aengus the Culdee, in his Litany composed at the close of the eighth century, invokes "the sixty who accompanied St. Brendan in his quest for the Land of Promise". ...more on Wikipedia about "Brendan"

Carl Christian Rafn ( 1795 - 1864) was a Danish archaeologist noted for his early advocacy of the theory that the Vikings had explored North America prior to Christopher Columbus. ...more on Wikipedia about "Carl Christian Rafn"

Didrik Pining also Dietrich or Diderik (born ca. 1428 in Hildesheim, Germany – 1491 Vardø) is claimed to have discovered America in 1473, twenty years before Columbus. He was the captain of a German-led, Danish-sponsored, and Portuguese-financed expedition seeking a northwestern route to Asia. Pining is said to have landed with three ships in 1473 on Newfoundland and Labrador together with Hans Pothorst also from Hildesheim and João Vaz Corte-Real from Portugal. The steersman was Johannes Scolvus aka John of Kolno. ...more on Wikipedia about "Didrik Pining"

The diffusion of ideas or artifacts from one culture to another is a well-attested and uncontroversial concept of cultural anthropology. For example, the practice of agriculture is widely believed to have diffused from somewhere in the Middle East to all of Eurasia, less than 10,000 years ago. Other established examples of diffusion include the smelting of iron in ancient times, and the use of cars in the 20th century. ...more on Wikipedia about "Diffusion (anthropology)"

The Dighton Rock is a 40 ton boulder, originally located in the riverbed of the Taunton River at Berkley, Massachusetts (formerly part of the township of Dighton). The rock is noted for the controversy surrounding a set of mysterious inscriptions on it. In 1963, the rock was removed from the river by a coffer dam and is under the protection of the state of Massachusetts. ...more on Wikipedia about "Dighton Rock"

Estotiland is a region of land appearing on the Zeno map, ostensibly on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean in the location of Labrador. The map on which it appears was purportedly made in the early 15th century by Antonio Zeno. According to the letters accompanying the map, the existence of Estotiland was learned from fishermen who had sailed across the North Atlantic in the 14th century. Both the map and the accompanying letters are considered to be 16th century forgeries by most historians. ...more on Wikipedia about "Estotiland"

Fusang (扶桑) is a country described by a Buddhist missionary, Hei-Shin (慧深) in 499 CE, as a place 20,000 Chinese miles (around 1,500 kilometers) beyond the sea to the east of China. Hei-Shin went by ship to Fusang, and upon his return reported his findings to the Chinese Emperor. His descriptions are recorded in the Liang Shu (History of the Liang Dynasty, by Yao Silian, 7th century). ...more on Wikipedia about "Fusang"

Gavin Menzies (born 1937), is a British author of the controversial book 1421: The Year China Discovered the World which asserted that ships from the fleet of Chinese admiral Zheng He travelled to the Americas prior to Christopher Columbus' arrival in 1492. ...more on Wikipedia about "Gavin Menzies"

Helge Marcus Ingstad ( December 30, 1899 – March 29, 2001) was a Norwegian explorer. After mapping some Norse settlements, Ingstad and his wife Anne Stine, an archaeologist, in 1961 found remnants of a Viking settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows on Newfoundland. With that they were the first to conclusively prove that the Icelandic/Norwegian Vikings had found a way across the Atlantic Ocean to North America, roughly 500 years before Christopher Columbus and John Cabot. ...more on Wikipedia about "Helge Ingstad"

Henry Sinclair, 1st Earl of Orkney, Baron of Roslin, and Lord of Shetland (c. 1345-c. 1400), was a Scottish explorer and nobleman. He is sometimes identified by the alternate spelling Henry St Clair. He was the grandfather of William Sinclair, the builder of Rosslyn Chapel. He is also noted for being the subject of speculation that he undertook early explorations of Greenland and North America in about the year 1398. According to a biography published many years after his death, he died in battle against the English around the year 1400. ...more on Wikipedia about "Henry Sinclair, 1st Earl of Orkney"

Howard Barraclough Fell (born June 6, 1917 in Lewes, Sussex, England and died on April 21, 1994, of heart failure in San Diego) more commonly known as Barry Fell, was Professor of invertebrate zoology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. His research was on starfish and sea urchins. ...more on Wikipedia about "Howard Barraclough Fell"

João Vaz Corte-Real ( pron. IPA / /) was a Portuguese explorer in the 15th century. In 1472 he was granted lands on Terceira Island on the Azores because he had discovered Terra Nova do Bacalhau. There is considerable speculation that this may have been Newfoundland (Terra Nova, in Portuguese, literally New Land). He was most likely accompanied by Didrik Pining, Hans Pothorst and John of Kolno. He was the father of Miguel and Gaspar Corte-Real. ...more on Wikipedia about "João Vaz Corte-Real"

John of Kolno (also known as Jan z Kolna, Johannes Scolnus, Ioannis Scolvenius or Iohannes Scolvus Polonus) ( 1435– 1484)—a semi-legendary Polish sailor and navigator serving for the court of Denmark. According to various sources he was one of the first Europeans to reach the shores of The Americas prior to Columbus in 1476 as steersman of Didrik Pining. ...more on Wikipedia about "John of Kolno"

The Kensington runestone is a roughly rectangular slab of greywacke covered in runes on its face and side. Its origin and meaning have been disputed ever since it was found in 1898 near Kensington, Minnesota. It suggests that Scandinavian explorers reached the middle of North America in the 14th century, but most scholars and historians dismiss it as a prank or hoax. ...more on Wikipedia about "Kensington Runestone"

Kon-Tiki was the name given to a raft by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition. It was named after the Inca sun god, Viracocha, for whom "Kon-Tiki" was said to be an old name. Kon-Tiki is also the name of the popular book which Heyerdahl wrote about his adventures. ...more on Wikipedia about "Kon-Tiki"

The La Merika Theory is the theory that America was first discovered by Freemasons (possibly The Knights Templar), and that the name La Merika (The Star) is what led to the later name of the continent America. ...more on Wikipedia about "La Merika"

The Los Lunas Decalogue Stone bears a very regular inscription that is read by its partisans as an abridged version of the Decalogue or Ten Commandments, carved into the flat face of a large boulder on the side of Hidden Mountain, near Los Lunas, New Mexico, about 35 miles south of Albuquerque. The language, according to some, is Hebrew, and moreover the script is Paleo-Hebrew— with a few Greek letters mixed in. The tetragrammaton YHWH, or "Yahweh," makes four appearances. ...more on Wikipedia about "Los Lunas Decalogue Stone"

Madoc (Madog or Madawg) ap Owain Gwynedd was a Welsh prince who, according to legend, discovered America in 1170, over three hundred years before Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492. Madoc has been the subject of much historical speculation, but most scholars doubt that Madoc ever made a trip to North America, and some doubt the prince existed at all. ...more on Wikipedia about "Madoc"

The Maine penny is a Norwegian silver penny that dates to the reign of Olaf Kyrre. It was found in 1957 in an old Native American settlement at the Goddard site, a large archeological site at Naskeag Point, Penobscot Bay, Maine. The coin is the only pre-Columbian Norse artifact found in the United States that is generally, though not universally, regarded to be genuine (the Kensington Runestone found in Minnesota, for example, is generally regarded to be a hoax). More artifacts have been found in Canada, in particular at the site of L'Anse aux Meadows. ...more on Wikipedia about "Maine Penny"

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