
New Zealand's Maori may have discovered Antarctica 1,300 years before Westerners, study says
CNN
For decades, historians and scientists believed Antarctica was discovered by Europeans and Americans. But according to a new study, it may have been New Zealand's indigenous Maori people who first laid eyes on the icy landscape.
Maori voyages to the southernmost continent may have dated as far back as the 7th century -- long before Europeans made their way there in the early 19th century, according to research published this week in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. The first confirmed sighting of mainland Antarctica has long been attributed to a Russian expedition in 1820, and the first record of a person stepping onto Antarctica is credited to an American explorer in 1821.More Related News













