The following excerpts are from AOL Homework Help. Access is not available without an AOL account, and link would not be possible, so I have reprinted all the "things" and a few with explanations.
Not being of Italian descent all I can say is it's nice to have the day off.
10 Things You May Not Know About Columbus and His Day By CAMERON CASWELL
1. Columbus was not the first to discover the New World.
2. Columbus coined the term "Indian."
3. Christopher Columbus wasn't actually named Christopher Columbus.
4. The District of Columbia is named after Christopher Columbus.
In 1800, the city of Washington was officially named the District of Columbia after Columbus and became the capital of the United States. In 1892, a statue of Columbus was raised at the beginning of Columbus Avenue in New York City.
5. Columbus did not set out to prove the Earth was round.
6. Queen Isabella of Spain did not pawn her crown jewels to pay for his voyage.
7. Sailor Juan Rodriguez Bermejo was the first to spot land.
8. If Columbus hadn't been Italian, Americans might not have a Columbus Day.
Out of pride for their native son, the Italian population of New York City organized the first celebration of the discovery of America, Oct. 12, 1866. The next year, more Italian organizations in other cities held banquets, parades and dances on that date. In 1869, when Italians of San Francisco celebrated Oct. 12, they called it Columbus Day.
9. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited publicly for the first time during Columbus' 400th anniversary.
10. Not everyone thinks Columbus is a hero.
Although traditional historians view Columbus' voyage as opening the New World to Western civilization and Christianity, many revisionist historians view him as a villain. They believe his discoveries marked the beginning of the destruction of Native American peoples and culture. In recent years, many people who view Columbus Day as a celebration of conquest and genocide have rejected this holiday and replaced it with Indigenous Peoples Day.
Updated On: 10/10/05 at 03:06 PM