What you learned in school
History textbooks taught that Christopher Columbus "discovered" America in 1492, being the first person to find the New World. Students learned that before Columbus, America was unknown to human civilization. Maps and timelines showed 1492 as the "discovery date" when the Americas entered world history for the first time.
What we know now
History textbooks taught that Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, bringing the New World to European attention for the first time. Students learned about Columbus as the bold explorer who found an unknown continent. Indigenous peoples had been living in the Americas for tens of thousands of years before Columbus arrived. Vikings had established settlements in North America around 1000 CE, 500 years before Columbus. Columbus never realized he had reached a new continent - he died believing he had found a route to Asia. The "discovery" narrative ignores the rich civilizations and millions of people already living there.