Monday is Columbus Day, a day which commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World. It has been determined that it was October 12, 1492.
Although the day was celebrated unofficially in a number of cities and states as early as the 18th century, but it was not until 1937 that the day was recognized as a federal holiday. For many years it was a day to honor both Columbus' achievements and celebrate the Italian-American heritage.
It was actually by accident that Columbus landed where he did. This Italian born explorer was hoping to reach China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia. It must be realized that probably no one had reached this area before. Also, without the more modern day navigation tools, calculating one's exact location was difficult.
Columbus was traveling on uncharted waters and did not have the tools to calculate the size of the universe in order to determine where his discoveries were located.
In many parts of the United States we have found that Columbus Day evolved into a celebration of Italian-American heritage. Parades and street fairs featuring colorful costumes, music and Italian food. In other communities, the day is used to honor indigenous peoples, with activities including pow-wows, traditional dance and lessons about Native American culture.
For all his efforts, Columbus was granted the right to bear arms, that is, he had a new Coat of Arms that added the royal charges of Castle and Leon and an image of islands to his traditional family crest. Columbus modified the design to include a continent beside the pictured islands.
The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day took place on October 12, 1892, "recommensing to the people the observance in all their localities of the 400th progress and enlightment." Since then, school programs, plays, and community festivities have been organized across the country in celebration of Columbus Day.
In addition to elaborate operatic and ballet presentations, The World's Columbian Exposition (or Chicago' s Worlds' Fair) when it opened in summer of 1893, was designed to commemorate Columbus discovery of the New World 400 years earlier.
Decades later, the knights of Columbus, an international Roman Catholic fraternal benefit society, lobbied sate legislatures to declare October 12 a legal holiday. Colorado was the first state to do so on April 1, 1907, followed by New York declaring Columbus Day a holiday in 1909. On Ocober 12, 1909 New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes led a parade that included the crews of two Italian ships, several italian-American societies, and legions of Knighs of Columbus.
In 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt designated Columbus Day (then celebrated on October 12) a national holiday in 1934.
Since 1971, when Columbus Day was designated the second Monday in October, it has been celebrated as a federal holiday. In many locations across the country Americans hold parades to commemorate the day.
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