50 Interesting Facts about Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day are celebrated on the second Monday in October to honor Italian explorer Christopher Columbus and Native American peoples. This year, the day falls on October 12, 2020.

50 Facts about Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Facts about Christopher Columbus

1. Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo) was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy. He started sailing when he was just 15 years of age.

2. At the point when he set sail for the expedition, he was given three ships by the city of Palos.

3. He set sail in August of 1492. It was 35 days before a mariner spotted land.

4. The names of the three boats were the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

5. His group comprised of 90 men.

6. The objective of the expedition was to chart a western ocean route to India and China, as well as to the islands in Asia with spices and gold.

7. At the point when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Bahamas in 1492, he was the first European since the 10th century to have the chance to investigate the Americas.

8. The Santa Maria didn’t make the return outing to Spain since it ran aground on Christmas Day. 40 men needed to remain behind because there was no room on the other two boats. They remained behind on the island Hispaniola.

9. Christopher Columbus made the journey to the New World three times.

10. He died when he was 55, in 1506, just two years after his last trip to the New World.

11. No one is certain where he is buried as he was reburied commonly in better places around the world.

12. No one is certain what he resembled, as there are no pictures known to exist.

13. President Roosevelt made Columbus Day a national holiday in 1934.

Facts about Columbus Day

14. Columbus Day denotes Christopher Columbus’ first journey to America. He arrived on the island of Guanahani in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492.

15. The first Columbus Day celebration is organized in 1792 by The Society of St. Tammany and held in New York City (300th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival).

16. President Benjamin Harrison issues a decree organizing a celebration of Columbus Day on the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in 1892.

17. Colorado becomes the first state to announce Columbus Day on April 7, 1907, a legal holiday.

18. Columbus Day starts being praised every year from 1920.

19. In 1934, upon the consolation of Christian American Italians in the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made October 12 of every year a government holiday to honor the appearance of explorer Christopher Columbus.

20. First government recognition of Columbus Day, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt on October 12, 1937.

21. In 1971, Columbus Day becomes a legal federal holiday in the United States. Presidential Proclamation (PL90-363) states that the observance of Columbus Day is consistently on the second Monday in October. This is likewise the Canadian Thanksgiving, which was established in 1959).

22. Columbus Day isn’t only an American holiday. It is likewise celebrated in numerous nations in Latin America, Italy and Spain, and different places.

23. In Italy, Columbus Day has been officially celebrated since 2004. It is officially named Giornata Nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo.

24. A few people will not celebrate the holiday since they state Columbus discovered land that was already possessed, and that he exploited the land and its people. A few states and districts don’t observe the holiday by any means. A few places basically consider it “Day of Observance” or a “Day of Recognition.”

25. Today, numerous public and government businesses are closed on Columbus Day, for example, banks, the Post Office, government offices, and public schools.

26. A few places observe Columbus Day by holding parades and events while others don’t effectively mark the event.

Facts about Indigenous Peoples’ Day

27. Numerous history specialists concur that Columbus was not the first individual, nor the first European, to discover the Americas. Indigenous people had been living in the Americas for centuries before Columbus’ landing.

28. Indigenous people were not generally treated reasonably throughout history, and some of their traditions and stories have unfortunately been lost.

29. By putting aside a day to celebrate indigenous peoples, we recognize their significant contributions to the heritage and history of our nation.

30. The push to observe a day of celebration for indigenous peoples started in 1977 when the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas began discussing replacing Columbus Day.

31. Different urban communities, for example, Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco, and whole states, including Minnesota, Alaska, Vermont, and Oregon, have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

32. A resolution to supplant Columbus Day with Native American Day, supported by Lynn Hart and South Dakota Governor George S. Mickelson, was passed in 1989.

33. In 1990, Native American day was first officially recognized in South Dakota.

34. On October 22, 1991, Berkeley, California’s City Council first formally embraced Indigenous Peoples’ Day in substitution of Columbus Day. After a year was the Columbus Quincentennial year marking 500 years since he arrived in the Americas.

35. The movement endeavors to carry attention to Columbus’ treatment of indigenous peoples and to respect and celebrate indigenous culture.

36. Berkeley, California was the first city to embrace Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in 1992.

37. Rather than Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Hawaii celebrates Discoverers’ Day on the second Monday of October, and South Dakota observes Native American Day.

38. Individuals frequently mark the day by studying Native American cultures through films, books, going to get-togethers, or experiencing customs of indigenous peoples.

39. Native Americans often hold pow wows on this day-get-togethers that center around dancing, singing, and honoring their culture.

40. There is likewise an International Day of the World’s Indigenous People which was made by the United Nations. It is celebrated on August 9 in different countries, even though not really in the U.S.

41. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a day to praise those native individuals who have lived here well before Columbus arrived. These peoples were not generally treated decently throughout history and some of their traditions and stories have been lost. By putting aside daily to praise them, we recognize the deep roots they have in our nation and the significance of their culture, even to us today.

Other Facts

42. South Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii don’t perceive Columbus Day.

43. The Republic of Colombia in South America and the District of Columbia in the United States is named after Christopher Columbus.

44. Some Latin American nations observe October 12 as the Dia de la Raza (Day of the Race).

45. In Puerto Rico, Columbus Day is celebrated alongside Puerto Rico Friendship Day.

46. In Virginia, Columbus Day is celebrated alongside Yorktown Victory Day.

47. Since Christopher Columbus was Italian, Italian-Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage.

48. Contingent upon where you live in the United States, you may see parades to celebrate the holiday. In many states, the children have a day off school.

49. New York City has the biggest parade.

50. There are numerous names for Columbus Day as it is praised in numerous nations. Here are the different names in different nations:
    • Latin America – Día de la Raza
    • Bahamas – Discovery Day
    • Spain – Fiesta Nacional and Día de la Hispanidad
    • Argentina – Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural
    • Belize and Uruguay – Day of the Americas