Which Europeans Got Here First? The Spanish? The French? Or the English?

You know their names--or at least the first one. Columbus. Cartier. Drake. Cabot. Vespucci. And countless others who left all to pursue the New World. They came for gold and fame and glory. And later, they came for freedom from religious persecution.
But who got here first, and how would we know?
Until recently, most people thought it was the Spanish who got to the Pacific Coast first. Recently, however, evidence has been found that seems to indicate someone got here before the Spanish did. Check out the findings in this article, and respond with your comments below!