Show Day For or ori Leif i Erickson President Nixon recently proclaimed Oct 9 as Leif LeU Erikson Day Day in in memory o othe of f the Viking who sailed t to o America around the year 1000 THAT WAS almost five hundred years before Columbus Columbus Columbus Colum Colum- bus reached an island he called San Salvador Island For many years some Americans Americans Amer Amer- Americans struggled to prevent recognition of Eriksons Erikson's feat theorizing that to admit his discovery would demean the accomplishment of Christopher Columbus in 1492 There is no logic in such an tion COLUMBUS' COLUMBUS discovery opened opened opened open open- ed up the New World to Europe Europe Eu Eu- Europe rope and had a tremendous impact on trade economics and history Eriksons Erikson's voyages accomplished pUshed none of this |