Columbus Day

When Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain on August 3, 1492, he planned to create a sea route to India and China.

Columbus took three ships

Columbus was an Italian explorer. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who ruled Spain, believed in Columbus’s plan to find China so he sailed west with three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

Columbus landed in the Bahamas

Columbus landed in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, but thought he reached the Indies.

Most Europeans scholars knew the world was round

European scholars knew the earth was round in 1492. They didn’t know about the Pacific Ocean. They believed that sailing across the Atlantic Ocean would lead them eventually to China and Japan.

Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean again and again

Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean again. On his third voyage, he finally realized that he hadn’t found China. Instead he had discovered a brand new continent that Europeans didn’t yet know.

300th Anniversary

A group called the Columbian Order celebrated the first Columbus Day on October 12, 1792, the 300th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery.

400th Anniversary

President Benjamin Harrison urged citizens to express their appreciation for Columbus on the 400th anniversary.

Today, Columbus Day is recognized as a national holiday on the second Monday in October.

 

-Sandra Merville Hart

Resources

Burnett, Bernice. Holidays, Franklin Watts, Inc., 1983.

“Columbus Day,” A&E Television Networks, 2016/01/24 http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/columbus-day.