Helge Ingstad was a Norwegian explorer, lawyer, and diplomat, born on December 30, 1899, in Meråker, Norway, and died on March 29, 2001, in Oslo. He is most renowned for his exploration and discovery of the L'Anse aux Meadows site in Newfoundland, Canada, which provided the first archaeological evidence of Viking presence in North America, predating Christopher Columbus's arrival by nearly 500 years.
In 1960, while researching the Vinland Sagas, Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, began to search for evidence of Norse settlement in North America. They discovered the remains of a Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, which was later confirmed by radiocarbon dating to be from around 1000 AD. This site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.
Ingstad married Anne Stine Ingstad in 1941, who played a crucial role in the archaeological work at L'Anse aux Meadows. Their partnership was both personal and professional, with Anne Stine continuing the archaeological work after Helge's death.