Before Columbus "Discovered" America an African Had Already Visited

An African emperor who ruled Mali in the 14th-century visited America nearly 200 years before Christopher Columbus. When he arrived he found the land already inhabited by people, which is likely why he never alleged he'd discovered it.

Abubakari II ruled what was arguably the richest and largest empire on earth - covering nearly all of West Africa.

According to a Malian scholar, Gaoussou Diawara in his book, 'The Saga of Abubakari II... the emperor, gave up all power and gold to pursue knowledge and discovery. Abubakari's ambition was to explore whether the Atlantic Ocean had another 'bank'.

In 1311, he handed the throne over to his brother Mansa Musa, and set off on an expedition with 2000 boats to cross the Atlantic.

His predecessor and uncle, Sundiata Keita, had already founded the Mali empire and conquered a good stretch of the Sahara Desert and the great forests along the West African coast.