Columbus Day, a holiday that celebrates Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas, is Monday, Oct. 13.
The first Columbus Day celebration took place in 1792 in New York City. A century later, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day as a one-time national celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage in 1492.
In 1934, Congress passed a resolution calling on the president to issue a proclamation each year marking Oct. 12 as Columbus Day.
Since 1971, Columbus Day has been an official federal holiday observed on the second Monday of October.
Many Italian Americans observe the holiday as a celebration of their heritage — not just Columbus himself. The day also holds significance for those of Hispanic ancestry because Oct. 12 is celebrated throughout Latin America as Día de la Raza.
Columbus has also been the subject of several stamps through the years, including the first set of commemorative stamps — issued in 1893 — honoring the World’s Columbian Exposition, or world’s fair, held in Chicago that year.
The Library of Congress website has more information on Columbus Day.
