Short Stuff: Exploring Irish Monk

# Summary

This Stuff You Should Know episode challenges the popular belief that Vikings were the first Europeans to reach North America, exploring instead the intriguing legend of Irish monk Saint Brendan who may have sailed to the New World in the 6th century—roughly 500 years before the Vikings. The hosts examine evidence from Norse sagas mentioning Irish missions in Greenland, mysterious petroglyphs in West Virginia, and a medieval account called the Navigatio that describes Brendan's fantastical voyage, while acknowledging that separating folklore from historical fact is nearly impossible. Ultimately, the episode concludes that while we can't definitively prove the Irish got there first, the possibility is fascinating enough to keep an open mind about what really happened in early transatlantic exploration.