First Landing of Columbus on the Shores of the New World; painting by Dióscoro Puebla (1862). *Image from Wikipedia
October 8, 2018, is Columbus Day in the United States.
Celebration of Columbus’s voyage in the early United States is recorded from as early as 1792, and also the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in the New World. President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus’s landing in the New World on the 400th anniversary of the event.
Many Italian-Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage, and the first such celebration was held in New York City on October 12, 1866. The day was first enshrined as a legal holiday in the United States and it was made a statutory holiday in 1907. In April 1934, as a result of lobbying by the Knights of Columbus and New York City Italian leader Generoso Pope, Congress and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 a federal holiday under the name Columbus Day.
Since 1971 (Oct. 11), the holiday has been fixed to the second Monday in October.
*Reference: Wikipedia
