What if the Americas weren't discovered till at least the 1800s?

Indeed. A super Black Plague, Mongol hordes at the English Channel, that sort of thing. It is likely the New World was visited a number of times prior to 1492. Certainly the Norse, possibly Irish monks or even (much less probable, and by accident) Romans or Phonicians. But what you need for OTL Age of Discovery of the Americas is the ship building and navigational technology to actually get there and return with some regularity, which itself requires the economic base to build such ships.
 
So the land bridge from Asia doesn't exist? I mean, there were "Native Americans" here long before the white Roman Catholics, Nordics, and Puritans. It was discovered, just not by Caucasians, long before Columbus showed up.
 
What would happen?

If you are going to start a thread, please put a little more thought to it.

The question is so broad that there can be many interpretations as is shown in some of the above responses. Did you mean discovery by Europeans or by any humans at all?

That is why you need in include some dialogue to see what the OP is all about.

I see you are a new member and I thing you may be young. Make sure you read the rules and when you post, make sure you have given the other readers all of the information.

Welcome to the site and I hope that you will find your time here enjoyable.

Thank you,
MrBill
 
What would happen?

How this could happen? I can't see any realistic way how Europeans not be arriving to Americas before 1800's. It might be delayed to early 17th century but not to 19th century. There was already some hints that there was something by 1492. Even failing Columbus just would delay foundation by 10 - 15 years most.
 

Maoistic

Banned
For one, America (I think this is a good time to say that I absolutely loathe this name) would be empty. Asia and Oceania meanwhile could be far more interconnected, since the population that migrated to America may instead have migrated to China, India, Australia and Polynesia, causing all of them to establish bigger trade routes rather than the original indirect ones, and thus become far more interconnected, as well as to grow far more in population. We would see horses in Hawaii and Polynesian sculpture in China or India.

Neither would Western Europe and North America become the only industrialised superpower, and the world most likely would be less technological than it was in the original 19th century since the colonisation of America never happened here. Whatever settlements develop in America, no matter on who "discovers" (loathe this term as well) it first, would also advance far more slower than originally since there wouldn't be civilisations with cleared trade routes and paths to allow for better mobility that also provided food, shelter and new technologies for the survival of the settlers/colonists.
 
As others point out, the question is very vaguely put. In my response above I assumed that what was meant was a discovery by the Europeans that would lead to a continued contact between Europe and America, not that there should be no humans there at all. A late Colombus-style discovery might be possible, depending on the POD. The answer by Claudius in post 3 is quite good.
 

Maoistic

Banned
Indeed. A super Black Plague, Mongol hordes at the English Channel, that sort of thing. It is likely the New World was visited a number of times prior to 1492. Certainly the Norse, possibly Irish monks or even (much less probable, and by accident) Romans or Phonicians. But what you need for OTL Age of Discovery of the Americas is the ship building and navigational technology to actually get there and return with some regularity, which itself requires the economic base to build such ships.

No.
 
Basically, unless there is an event that makes it impossible for Europe to build good ships until 1800, this is impossible. The way winds and currents work in the Atlantic mean that if you have a decent quality ship there, it will move towards America a lot more easily than away from it. Get blown to America and discovered.

How else would the Vikings have ended up there in 1010?

- BNC
 
Basically, unless there is an event that makes it impossible for Europe to build good ships until 1800, this is impossible. The way winds and currents work in the Atlantic mean that if you have a decent quality ship there, it will move towards America a lot more easily than away from it. Get blown to America and discovered.

How else would the Vikings have ended up there in 1010?

- BNC
Island hopping from the North Sea to Iceland to Greenland to Vinland. They weren't making long-distance transoceanic voyages.
 
Once you discover Madeira and the Azores, it's pretty hard to never have a ship taken to America by current. Only one of them has to return to tell the tale. This is actually a very difficult challenge.

I also take it that the OP didn't mean "no humans at all", but "discovery" by some maritime civilisation instead. The other scenario (no humans prior to maritime exploration) is also a difficult challenge seeing how it got discovered by coast-hopping at least twice before it was discovered by ocean. Not sure which of them is more difficult.

And this is saying nothing about possible Pacific landings; there were actual Japanese ships blown off-course in the 1800s and if the Polynesian contact hypothesis is right, there could have been a medieval contact too. America's too big to never hit accidentally unless you set a bunch of boat-sinking whales to patrol the oceans.
 

Infinity

Banned
Is there a way to make Christian and Muslim relations friendlier so that Portugal doesn't have an economic incentive to circumnavigate Africa? If Europe could access the trade route used by the arabs, then there would have been no need to look for an alternate trade route. Alternatively, if camel trade had lower prices with the north, then there would be no need for a blind and vast search to circumvent it.
 
Is there a way to make Christian and Muslim relations friendlier so that Portugal doesn't have an economic incentive to circumnavigate Africa? If Europe could access the trade route used by the arabs, then there would have been no need to look for an alternate trade route. Alternatively, if camel trade had lower prices with the north, then there would be no need for a blind and vast search to circumvent it.

I doubt that. Europeans were very bigoted on religious issues and this not help to create better relationships by 15th century. Easier is just butterfly Islam away. Perhaps Mohammed dies very young and so not found new religion.
 
I doubt that. Europeans were very bigoted on religious issues and this not help to create better relationships by 15th century. Easier is just butterfly Islam away. Perhaps Mohammed dies very young and so not found new religion.

Seems overly broad. The Venetians traded with them fine through Egypt and Turkey. It's the Portuguese specifically that were locked out.
 
I doubt that. Europeans were very bigoted on religious issues and this not help to create better relationships by 15th century. Easier is just butterfly Islam away. Perhaps Mohammed dies very young and so not found new religion.
That seems workable. IIRC, the main problem for Columbus was funding a project most people assumed would end with his ships running out of supplies and starving to death before they ever reached China. Keep the Silk Road open, and no one will pay to find another route.
 
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