October 9, 2023 – Columbus Day

Happy Columbus Day! Though we celebrate Christopher Columbus as the discoverer of America, he never actually stepped foot in North America. He took 4 separate trips, starting with his famous one in 1492 with the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. On his first voyage, he was searching for an alternate route to the Far East, but instead, he landed in what is now the Bahamas. On his subsequent trips, he landed on Hispaniola and explored the Central and South American coasts. He never even thought he had found a new continent, and until his death, he genuinely thought he had reached China.
It was actually the Norse who were the first Europeans to reach the North American mainland. After setting Iceland, they moved into the southern part of Greenland in the 10th century. From there, they are believed to have set sail and reached the North American mainland nearly 500 years before Columbus reached the Caribbean.
Columbus’ explorations were largely forgotten by history until he started appearing in Italian and Spanish plays and poems starting in the 16th century. The first Columbus Day was celebrated on October 12, 1792, by the Columbian Order of New York on the 300th anniversary of his historic landing. 100 years later, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day as a one time national holiday. It wasn’t until 1968 that the Columbus Day was recognized as a federal holiday, thanks to legislation signed by President Lyndon Johnson.
The oldest continuously existing Columbus Day celebration is in San Francisco, where their parade was established in 1868! New York City has the largest Columbus Day Parade, with a million spectators and 35,000 participants. Learn more here.