I understand that the Native Americans used Obsidian for weapons and the like. I am just curious if the European cultures did that as well. I know that there was some jewelry worn by the Europeans but I have never heard of weapons.
Obsidian use is dependent upon the presence of obsidian to be used. The northwestern US has lots of obsidian due to volcanic activity there in the past. That's why lots of prehistoric tools from that region are made from obsidian.
The northeastern US does not have lots of obsidian. It has lots of chert/flint. Most of the prehistoric stone tools in the northeastern US are made from chert/flint.
I think that Europe has more chert/flint than obsidian, which is why fewer stone tools are made of obsidian there. I am not up to speed on prehistoric lithic quarries in Europe, so I am not 100% certain about the distribution of obsidian. You can ask over at /r/archaeology for more info.
Obsidian is a really great material to flintknap (based on personal experience). It's much easier to work than chert, and seems to produce a sharper edge. In places where obsidian is available, people definitely use it to make stone tools.