Similarities Between Neil Armstrong and Leif Ericson Neil Armstrong and Leif Ericson. What do these two men have in common? They were both the first persons to set foot on a brand new, uncharted land. Neil took his “one small step” on to the moon, while Leif navigated his way over to what is now known as Canada. He was the first European to set foot onto the North American continent. This Viking seaman was the son of another great Viking, Eric the Red. Leif was born around 980AD in the country of Iceland. When Leif was about 2 years old, Eric took his family to Gr