There is all sorts of evidence that others arrived before columbus. Cocaine has been found in the stomachs of Egyptian mummies-- a substance which only grows in South America. The pyramids in Mesoamerica are possibly derived from their egyptian counterparts. Polynesians, Chinese, Vikings, and possibly (and probably) others made it to America before Columbus.
Columbus is significant because his "discovery" made Europe aware of the New World and initiated the era of colonialization. The other discoveries did not.
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