So this is what happens when book meets movie meets IRL history.
Firstly, book seven of the How To Train Your Dragon series (How to Ride a Dragon's Storm) is essentially "Hiccup et al go to discover America!" If you've not read the series yet, I would highly highly recommend it. Secondly, when I was in History class, we were talking about Newfoundland and when and why it joined Canada. We all received a timeline of Newfoundland's general history, and right smack bang on the page were the words "1000 AD - Vikings sail and settle on Newfoundland."
The rest is history. Har.
And yes. Hiccup thinks in sepia tones.
More HTTYD stuff [link] Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, Fishlegs and Ruffnut (c) Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks