He could’ve been one of the world’s most famous explorers. Going down in history as the first vessel to see North America. Instead, Bjarni Herjulfsson will be consigned to history as a cautionary tale against not letting curiosity drive you.
Who is Bjarni Herjulfsson?
Bjarni Herjulfsson is one of many explorers that left his native Norway in search of prosperous lands. After many tales of success and failure in equal measure, it was the turn of Bjarni Herjulfsson to man the tiller and steer his crew into the unknown looking for success.
In the late 10th century, he set off from Norway on a voyage to find Greenland. After getting blown off course his ship is believed to be the first European vessel to see North America. Instead of landing and investigating the now-sighted shore, Herjfulsson refused to listen to the requests of his crew to stop and explore and instead turned the ship around, where he would eventually find Greenland.
Years after his successful voyage, Herjulfsson would recount his trip to close friend Lief Erikson. After hearing the tales, curiosity got the better of Erikson and he bought a ship and went on a near-identical journey. However, instead of turning around when land was sighted, he chose to carry on and is the first-known European to land in North America. All of this took place almost 500 years before Columbus “discovered” America in 1492.
What happened to Bjarni Herjulfsson?
Herjfulsson has since largely been forgotten from history. instead often only referred to as a footnote of Leif Erikson’s exploits. However, he does prove that curiosity is a requirement for major success to occur. His wider tale also highlights the opportunities that exist when collaboration occurs. If he had taken on board the views of his crew then he would today be known as the first European to land in North America.
The challenge is allowing yourself to be continuously curious in order to push your own boundaries and develop a greater understanding of the world in which your business operates. without becoming distracted, even if the information doesn’t seem immediately important.
What does this mean for your business?
The tale of Bjarni Herjulfsson is a somewhat cautionary tale, despite many embellishments that naturally occur over 1000 years, he is still a figure that highlights the need to continue to seek answers. In business and personal life. In other words, continuing to ask why something happens or what something means will give you more information with which you can make better choices.
If you are looking to sate your curiosity DesignRush has a whole host of breaking news from the online world in their Spotlight.
