“October, Americans mark Columbus Day, a federal holiday commemorating the explorer who “sailed the ocean blue” in 1492. Columbus Day is a federal U.S. holiday commemorating the voyage and landing of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in the “New World” on October 12, 1492. The anniversary of his landing in what would eventually be known as the Americas was first formally celebrated 300 years later, in 1792, by the Columbian Order (Society of St. Tammany) in New York City.

During Christopher Columbus’s time, scholars already understood that the world was round, a fact established by the ancient Greeks. People assumed a ship traveling west from Europe would sail through to Asia. However, many believed that such a westward journey was impossible. Columbus, an Italian, was convinced otherwise and persuaded King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to sponsor his exploration and search for riches.

During Christopher Columbus’s time, scholars already understood that the world was round, a fact established by the ancient Greeks. People assumed a ship traveling west from Europe would sail through to Asia. However, many believed that such a westward journey was impossible. Columbus, an Italian, was convinced otherwise and persuaded King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to sponsor his exploration and search for riches.

On October 12, 1492, Columbus landed on a small island in the Bahamas (now known as San Salvador, previously Watling’s Island), convinced that he had reached his destination of Asia. Although he was not the first European to come across the Americas (Vikings, among others, had visited before), his journey sparked enthusiasm for European exploration of the hemisphere. It kicked off a significant connection between the Old World and the New World.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the occasion a national holiday. Columbus Day has been observed on the second Monday of October since 1971.”

ALMANAC (Columbus Day 2025: History and Controversy | The Old Farmer’s Almanac)