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Columbus Day (Discovery Day)

Columbus Day

Columbus Day celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on October 12 1492. Columbus is often given credit for discovering America. Columbus Day, also called Discovery Day, is celebrated in most countries in south America on October 12th, but the United States and a few other countries celebrate it on the second Monday of October.

In many places this is a public holiday, so businesses and schools are closed.

There is a fair amount of controversy over this holiday as Columbus’s arrival lead to the death of many Native American people. There is also evidence that Columbus was not the first to arrive in North America, therefore he cannot get credit for discovering it. Because of these controversies, many states in the US no longer celebrate Columbus Day. In addition, some states, such as California and South Dakota have created separate holidays on the same day to celebrate Native Americans.