Who was the leader of the first Vikings to reach North America?

Leif Eriksson is recognized as the leader of the first Vikings to reach North America, around the year 1000 AD. He is credited with landing in an area he called Vinland, which is generally believed to correspond to parts of what is now Newfoundland, Canada. This exploration is significant because it marks one of the earliest known European presences in North America, well before Columbus's voyage in 1492.

Leif Eriksson was the son of Erik the Red, who is known for founding the first Norse settlement in Greenland. While Erik the Red played a crucial role in promoting Viking exploration and settlement in the North Atlantic, it was Leif who undertook the journey that led to the discovery of North America. Ragnar Lothbrok is a legendary Norse hero and semi-mythical king associated with various sagas, but there is no historical evidence he ever reached North America. Olaf Tryggvason was a later king of Norway who reigned in the late 10th century and was significant in the Norse conversion to Christianity, but he did not play a role in the Viking discovery of North America.