Weird Medieval 4: Sweet Potatoes, Genetics, and Gold We're Not So Different

folks, we're back on our weird Medieval shit with part 4 in our series. this time, we focus on the amazing fact that Medieval Norse and Polynesian peoples crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to reach the Americas hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus was even born and how modern science has confirmed these events that were once thought to be outright fabrications. these are truly some of the greatest accomplishments in human history and they happened in the Middle Ages. then, we talk about the amazing story of Mansa Musa, a Medieval emperor of the Malian Empire and one of the richest men to ever live, who went on Hajj to Mecca, gave away so much gold that he cratered the gold markets on 3 continents, but had his generosity repaid and got home safely despite losing all his money on the trip.