Community Corner

Columbus Day Steeped in History

The holiday not only celebrates the famous explorer, and his role in finding the Americas, but also Italian-American heritage.

Preparing to celebrate Columbus Day today? What is Columbus Day?

Well, according to History.com, the holiday not only celebrates Christopher Columbus’ landing in the new world, it is also a celebration of Italian-American heritage.

If you’ll all dust off your history textbooks, Columbus landed in the New World on October 12, 1492. It was unofficially celebrated in a number of cities and states as early as the 18th century, but did not become a federal holiday until 1937, according to History.com.

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The first Columbus Day celebration was held in New York City, and Columbus Day has been celebrated annually since 1920.

Throughout its history, Columbus Day, and the man who inspired it, have generated controversy, and many alternatives to the holiday have appeared in recent years.

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There are all sorts of interesting facts about Christopher Columbus.

He was born in Oct. 31, 1451, in the Republic of Genoa, Italy of course. He was the son of a weaver.

He was nearly killed in 1476 while sailing as part of a commercial fleet when French privateers off the coast of Portugal attacked his ship. They set his vessel on fire and he was forced to swim to shore and make his way to Lisbon, Portugal.

In Portugal, he married Felipa Perestrello. About 1480, the couple had a son, Diego. His wife died soon after and Columbus moved to Spain.

A second son, Fernando, was born out of wedlock in 1488 to Beatriz Enriquez de Arana.

Columbus was looking for a new and safer way to reach India and China when he came up with the idea to travel across the Atlantic. He estimated the earth to be a sphere approximately 63 percent its actual size.

In August of 1492, Columbus sailed on Santa Maria, with the Pinta and the Niña along side. And 36 days later, Columbus reached what is now known as the Bahamas, claiming it for Spain.

They kept sailing and found the islands now known at the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Then the Santa Maria ran aground.

They salvaged what they could and built the settlement on Villa de la Navidad or Christmas Town, using part of the ship. Thirty-nine men stayed behind to occupy the settlement. Convinced they reached Asia, he set sail for home.

Columbus reached Central America on his third voyage out in 1502.


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