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Columbus Day Open Thread
Happy Columbus Day!
Here’s a little history about Columbus Day:
A U.S. national holiday since 1937, Columbus Day commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. The Italian-born explorer … intended to chart a western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia; instead, he landed in the Bahamas, becoming the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century. …
The first Columbus Day celebration took place in 1792, when New York‘s Columbian Order–better known as Tammany Hall–held an event to commemorate the historic landing’s 300th anniversary. …
In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage with patriotic festivities, writing, “On that day let the people, so far as possible, cease from toil and devote themselves to such exercises as may best express honor to the discoverer and their appreciation of the great achievements of the four completed centuries of American life.”
In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday …
Here’s hoping that you have a day off work to relax and enjoy the autumn weather.
Open Thread!
2012-10-09 01:02:43
Source: http://wtpotus.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/columbus-day-open-thread/
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