Short answers, pulled from the story.
The name North America derives from Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. German cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann published a world map in 1507 that placed the word America on the continent using the Latinized feminine form of Vespucci's name.
Traditional theories suggest hunters entered the Bering Land Bridge between eastern Siberia and present-day Alaska from 27,000 to 14,000 years ago. A growing viewpoint suggests the first American inhabitants sailed from Beringia some 13,000 years ago.
The first permanent English settlement was Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. The first permanent French settlement was Quebec City, Quebec, established in 1608.
The Appalachian Mountains formed some 480 million years ago during the formation of Pangaea. They are among the oldest ranges globally compared to the Rockies which began forming around 80 to 55 million years ago.
North America's GDP per capita evaluated October 2016 by International Monetary Fund was $41,830 making it richest continent worldwide. U.S. has largest economy in world with estimated per capita gross domestic product PPP of $57,466 according to World Bank.