It’s time for our US readers to celebrate Columbus Day again, but how much do we actually know about this holiday? How it became a holiday may surprise you!
As I was researching Columbus, looking for something interesting, I came across this NPR article that I thought I’d share with you all. As you all know, Columbus Day is that wonderful day in October when banks shut down and many people get the day off work—but there’s obviously a lot more to the story than that.
If you grew up in America like I did, then chances are you were taught to idolize Christopher Columbus who bravely sailed the ocean blue and landed on this side of the Atlantic in 1492. He may have been looking for a faster way to get to India, but his discovery made the US what it is today, right?
Tourist take a closer look at the Pinta, one of the three ships Columbus sailed across the Atlantic.
Not quite. For starters Christopher Columbus never even made it onto the soil that we call the US today. In fact, he landed in the Bahamas where he and his crew members brought European diseases that infected large numbers of the indigenous population. Additionally, there were several explorers who discovered this continent earlier than Columbus, so why does he get all the credit?
Columbus Day wasn’t even a thing until a whopping 400 years after his discovery. At the time the US was having trouble integrating Italian immigrants who were beginning to come over in large numbers. President Harrison decided it might be a good idea to bring an Italian hero into play to counteract prejudice against Italians.
It took a few decades for the holiday to catch on though. In fact, the first state didn’t celebrate the holiday until 1906 and it wasn’t a federal holiday until 1934. Today most states do celebrate the man who discovered America, and a few make an effort to also bring attention the indigenous populations that called this continent home before it was known as America.
Even if the story about Columbus discovering the US isn’t quite true, it’s still a great chance to celebrate the influence Italians and Italian-Americans have on US culture. If you are lucky enough to get the day off work enjoy it—and even if you don’t, have a happy Columbus Day!
Italian flags surround Columbus statue.
