Columbus Day / Discoverer's Day
About Columbus Day
Date When Celebrated: This holiday is observed on the second Monday in October
Americans have been celebrating Columbus Day since 1992. That year, New York City held the first Columbus Day celebration commemorating the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in 1492. Nowadays, many call this holiday Discoverer’s Day.
For decades, American history books told us Columbus discovered America. Those books and teachings did not recognize the fact that Native Americans were already here. Native Americans truly discovered America. It gave little mention of the fact that Nordic explorers, beginning with Leif Erikson, had traveled down the eastern coast of Canada hundreds of years before Columbus arrived.
Today, we celebrate Columbus Day for what it accurately is. Columbus did discover the existence of the New World for Europeans who, until then, believed the world was flat and ended somewhere in the Atlantic. Not believing the world was flat, his real goal was to find a way to the Orient. When Columbus landed in America, he did not reach the mainland. Rather, he landed on an island in The Bahamas that the locals called Guanahani. Ultimately, Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World. However, he never set foot on the mainland. Upon arrival, he renamed it San Nicolas. And, the focus of this day is now more on the discovery of the “New World”, and less on Columbus himself.
In recent years, Columbus has fallen out of favor with many people for several reasons. First, in 1492, Columbus did not land on the mainland of the American continent. Second, Leif Erikson and Native Americans preceded him. Also, Columbus and many other Europe discoverers were seen as cruel conquerors and looters. This has given rise to Indigenous People Day.
Italian Americans are one exception to the rule. They still hold Italian Christopher Columbus in high esteem.
Discoverer's Day
This holiday is increasingly being called Discoverer’s Day. This allows us to celebrate all those who played a role in finding and settling America. It includes:
- Native Americans were the first true discoverers of the Americas.
- Leif Erikson and Nordic adventurers who traveled down the east coast from Greenland.
- Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas for Europeans.
The original roots of Discoverer’s Day came from Hawaii. The Hawaii State Legislature proclaimed Discoverer’s Day on the second Monday of October. It recognizes the Polynesians who discovered the Hawaiian Islands.
Did You Know? Anti-Columbus sentiment has grown in both North and South America. On Columbus Day, mock trials of Columbus are held in Peru.
About Christopher Columbus
In case you forgot them since grade school, here are some key facts about Christopher Columbus:
- Columbus discovered America in 1492. He originally set sail on August 3, 1492, but had trouble with the ships. As a result, his three ships stopped at the Canary Islands for a month. The ships left the Canary Islands on September 3, 1492.
- He traveled with three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria
- While Columbus was an Italian, he could not procure funding in Italy. So, he turned to the King of Spain. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella provided the funding.
- Christopher Columbus did not land on the U.S. mainland. Rather, he landed on an island in the Caribbean. While many believe he landed in San Salvador, there is still debate over which island he originally landed on.
Related Holidays
Today's Quotes
” Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing at all.” — Author Unknown
More About Today
Recipe of the Day: Pumpkin Dip
Also See: Pumpkin Recipes Galore and Holiday Recipes and Halloween Recipes
Pumpkin Nook – Visit the folks that know everything about pumpkins. Halloween, too.
This Day in History – Indeed, many other important events occurred on this date. See what happened on this date in history.
Famous Birthdays – Did you ever wonder what famous people share your birth date? If so, then find out now!
Ecards – Send a free Ecard daily for Columbus Day or just about any calendar holiday, occasion, observance, or event. Undoubtedly, it’s fun for both the sender and the recipient.
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Did You Know? Besides Columbus Day, there are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. Many of these holidays are new, too. People and organizations are creating new holidays on a regular basis. Consequently, at Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.