Final answer:
The Vikings, led by Leif Ericson, were the first Europeans to reach North America.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first Europeans to reach North America were the Vikings, led by Leif Ericson. Leif Ericson was the son of Eric the Red who first settled Greenland. They reached Canada roughly five hundred years prior to Christopher Columbus's voyage.
However, it was the explorers sailing for Portugal and Spain who traversed the Atlantic throughout the fifteenth century and had permanent contact with North America, leading to the era of Atlantic exploration.