The first European to see the Mississippi was the Spanish Conquistador Hernando de Soto, brother-in-law of Balboa and the discoverer of the Pacific.
Hernando de Soto was the first European to set eyes on the Mississippi.
But if Drudge passes on a particular story, there are few other columnists--in print or on the Web--who have the inclination and audience to break a tabloid tale out to mainstream readers.