Most folks know that “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred and ninety-two” and that his boats were the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, but do you know when it became a holiday? Here are some benchmarks on the way to becoming a holiday:
1792 – New York City’s Society of St. Tammany held a celebration to honor the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in the western hemisphere
1866 – New York City’s Italian population organized a celebration of the discovery of America
1892 – President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the 400th anniversary. The World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago was dedicated marking the anniversary, but the fair did not officially open to the public until May 1, 1893.
1937 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed every October 12th to be celebrated as Columbus Day
1968 – Columbus Day was declared a federal public holiday, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, to be celebrated on the second Monday in October opening the door for a day off from work and school and Columbus Day sales.
Enjoy the holiday!
Submitted by Bonnie Marron