Columbus Day (United States)

Columbus Day is a federal public holiday in the United States, and it is observed on the second Monday in October each year.

The holiday is to celebrate the discovery of the Americas when Christopher Columbus first arrived in the Americas on October 12, 1492. Some cities started celebrating this day as Indigenous Peoples' Day to recognize Indigenous peoples' cultures and contributions.

Christopher Columbus was born in October 1451 in the Republic of Genoa and was an Italian explorer and navigator. Between 1492 and 1504, he led four Spanish-based transatlantic maritime expeditions to the Americas, which opened the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

On August 3, 1492, Columbus departed from Palos de la Frontera, a municipality in the southwestern Spanish province of Huelva, into the Atlantic. On October 7, 1492, after 29 days out of sight of land, the crew saw flocks of birds. Columbus changed course to follow their flight. On October 12, 1492, they found the land and called it San Salvador, the present-day Bahamas. October 12 is widely celebrated in American countries.

The following is the list of Columbus Day in the United States from 2022 to 2026.

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