Robert Garnetts age 13, of Gary, Ind., for his question:

Who was Leif Ericson?

Lucky Leif, as he was known to his friends, was one of the most famous of all the Norse Vikings. He was born in Iceland around the year 980. At about the age of two, Young Leif was taken t o Greenland, Eric the Red his father, had been exiled from Iceland and went to start a colony in this new land. All these Norsemen were Vikings and as he grew up young Leif made many voyages. At 19, he was given his own ship.

His most famous voyage occurred by accident. Sailing home from Norway, his ship was blown off course and went clear across the Atlantic Oceans Leif and his party were most likely the first Europeans to set foot on North America. Though Leif did not return, other Norsemen visited our shores many times to gather timber.