Happy Columbus Day

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue….

Above is the course he sailed on the misadventure that brought him to the Caribbean. Never mind that he thought he had landed in India and, in typical European (imperial) fashion, named the natives he met (or “discovered”) there “Indians”.

But the rest, as we say, is HIStory.

Americans have been celebrating Columbus Day for centuries. But it wasn’t until 1971 that the U.S. Congress declared the second Monday in October a federal holiday in honor of this sea-faring Italian.

Many other countries throughout the Americas, most notably in the Caribbean, mark a similar holiday in his name.

For an encarta account of his voyages click here.