The date of discovery of America is considered to be October 12, 1492. Discovery of America by Columbus: history, facts, mysteries

Columbus Day is a holiday dedicated to the anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, which is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October.

Definition of Columbus Day, history of the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus, historical discoveries of Columbus, traditions of celebrating Columbus Day in the USA and other countries, movement against celebrating Columbus Day

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Columbus Day - definition

The holiday, which is dedicated to the anniversary when the expedition of the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus reached the shores of the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas archipelago, subsequently this day, October 12, 1492, was adopted as the official date of the discovery of America, and in 1937, under President Franklin Roosevelt, Columbus Day became a national day. a holiday, despite the fact that for the indigenous inhabitants of the country this holiday is a day of sorrow, the day when Europeans brought death, disease, and poverty to their lands.

Columbus Day is A federal holiday in the United States of great importance for the entire nation, which was first timed to coincide with the anniversary of a significant event - the discovery on Columbus Day - is a holiday in honor of the discovery of the continent by a famous navigator, which occurred on October 12, 1492 according to the Julian calendar (October 21, 1492 according to the Gregorian calendar ).

Columbus Day is a national public holiday in the United States of America, which was first celebrated in 1492, and several centuries later Americans began to celebrate it annually on the second Monday of October.

Columbus Day - this o a holiday that was originally celebrated annually in New York by residents of Italian descent in 1866 because Columbus was considered Italian.

Columbus Day is a revered holiday, since its discovery contributed to the development of the land, its settlement by Europeans, and on the other hand, the resettlement of Europeans destroyed the culture and existence of the indigenous inhabitants of a hitherto unknown continent.

Columbus Day is a national and international phenomenon reflecting the myriad myths and historical lies that have been used for countless centuries to dehumanize Indians, justifying the theft of their lands, the deliberate destruction of entire nations, and genocide against our people.

Columbus Day is a holiday for US stock exchanges.

The Forex market opens at 23:00 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on Sunday in Tokyo (03:00 on Monday Moscow time), and closes at 22:00 on Friday in Chicago (02:00 on Saturday Moscow time).

That is, the Forex market operates five days a week, almost around the clock, but, as with everything, there are also exceptions in the Forex market. These are state and bank holidays.

Days when American Forex exchanges are closed:

02.01 New Year's Day - New Year;

20.02 Presidents Day or Washington's Birthday - President's Day;

06.04 Good Friday - Good Friday;

28.05 Memorial Day - Memorial Day;

04.07 Independence Day - Independence Day;

03.09 Labor Day - Labor Day;

08.10 Columbus Day - Columbus Day;

12.11 Veterans Day - Veterans Day;

22.11 Thanksgiving Day - Thanksgiving Day;

25.12 Christmas Day - Christmas.

Although Columbus Day is a holiday in the United States, banks take a break, but some Forex markets continue to operate as usual. In this regard, no macro statistics are expected.

The name of the holiday or legal holiday for US exchanges is as follows;

01.01 New Year's Day NYSE, NYMEX, CME;

21.01 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day NYSE, NYMEX, CME;

18.02 Presidents Day or Washington's Birthday NYSE, NYMEX, CME;

29.03 Good Friday NYSE, NYMEX, CME;

27.05 Memorial Day NYSE, NYMEX, CME;

04.07 Independence Day NYSE, NYMEX, CME;

02.09 Labor Day NYSE, NYMEX, CME;

14.10 Columbus Day CME;

11.11 Veterans Day CME;

11.28 Thanksgiving Day NYSE, NYMEX, CME;

12.25 Christmas Day NYSE, NYMEX, CME;

NYSE - New York Stock Exchange (USA).

NYMEX - New York Mercantile Exchange (USA).

CME - Chicago Mercantile Exchange (USA).

Columbus Day holiday

In most countries of the American continent, Columbus Day celebrations are held on October 12 - the day of the landing of Christopher Columbus's expedition on American soil on October 12, 1492. and only in the USA this holiday is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October.

Celebrating Columbus Day in the USA

Columbus Day in the United States is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October and is a public holiday in most of the United States, although it is not celebrated in some states. In particular, it is not a public holiday in California, Nevada and Hawaii.

Official events in honor of the anniversary of the discovery of America begin with a service. In some US cities, special church services, parades and ceremonies are held. Most celebrations center around the Italian-American community. Celebrations in New York and San Francisco deserve special attention. In the Hawaiian Islands, Columbus Day is also known as D-Day.

This day celebrates not only one of the greatest geographical discoveries in the history of mankind, but also emphasizes the role that ethnic Italians played in the exploration and development of the United States of America. Thus, the organization of the celebrations is carried out by the Columbus Citizens Foundation, an organization that unites US citizens of Italian descent who have made the most significant contributions to science, culture, business, education and the development of democratic institutions in the United States.

Most celebrations are centered within the Italian-American community. And although the story with the navigator played a cruel joke, and the continent of America received its name from the name of another navigator - Amerigo Vespucci, three centuries later the first ceremony took place in honor of Columbus the discoverer. In his honor, the Americans erected a monument and have celebrated Columbus Day ever since.

Interestingly, the nationality of Christopher Columbus is still the subject of scientific debate. The main version says that he was born in Italy, but some scholars name Spain, Portugal and even Greece. Columbus mastered the art of navigation in Portugal, but it was Spain that sponsored his historical expedition of 1492.

During the holiday, most government agencies are closed, post offices, banks, and stock exchanges are closed. Schools are generally open on this day, as are most American companies and businesses. In New York, Denver and many other cities, in honor of Columbus Day, more than 500 years after the historic arrival of an expedition of three ships to the shores of a small island in the Caribbean, ceremonies, parades, and theatrical performances are held to depict Columbus's discovery of America.

The holiday usually opens with the laying of flowers at the Columbus monument in New York's Central Park.

Then a carnival begins on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, attended by schoolchildren, police officers, firefighters and National Guard soldiers.

This day is the most crowded and noisy in New York. Up to 30 thousand people gather on Fifth Avenue, the streets of Manhattan are decorated in the colors of the Italian flag, because according to one version, the discoverer of America was from the Genoese Republic.

Along with colorful parades, sports festivals, fairs, carnivals are held throughout the country, and fireworks displays are held in the evening.

Numerous participants in the celebrations and spectators pay tribute to the memory of Christopher Columbus and the 90 sailors who set sail with him on three caravels - "Pinta", "Nina" and "Santa Maria".

Parades also take place in the Italian and Latin American neighborhoods of the metropolis. Towards evening, the famous Empire State Building skyscraper is illuminated with red, white and green lighting - in the colors of the Italian flag.

Another entertainment for Americans on this holiday is shopping. On Columbus Day, small stores and large shopping centers are crowded, because discounts on goods sometimes reach up to 70%, so on the second Monday in October, some stores receive a month's revenue.

Since the United States was founded by English colonists, and not by Columbus and his followers, as the Spaniards claimed, in the United States the day of Columbus’s “discovery of America” was not celebrated at all for many years, although on the 300th and 400th anniversaries of his first voyage commemorative ceremonies took place. Despite the fact that Christopher Columbus was certainly not the first European to set foot on the American continent, it is he who receives the bulk of the fame and honors (as well as the merciless criticism for the mass extermination of the indigenous inhabitants that followed his voyages ) for the “discovery” of America.

For the first time, this holiday was “officially” celebrated in the United States in 1792 - in honor of the tricentenary of the landing of Columbus. The celebration was organized on the initiative of the Tammany Hall political society, which is close to the US Democratic Party, also known as the Columbian Order. To commemorate the anniversary of this great event, a monument to the navigator was erected in Baltimore, Maryland, and the District of Columbia received its current name (though a year before the celebration of the tricentennial).

On the four hundredth anniversary of this event, in 1892, a statue of the navigator was erected in New York, on Columbus Avenue.

In many American cities, Columbus Day traditions are closely associated with Italian American communities. In New York City, residents of Italian descent first celebrated Columbus Day in 1866. The Italian community of San Francisco held its first Columbus Day celebration in 1869.

In 1892, the first official celebration of Columbus Day took place in the United States. President Benjamin Harrison appealed to the people to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America.

School programs, theater productions, festivals, sports events and fairs were organized throughout the country to mark the holiday.

The first American state to legalize the celebration of Columbus Day was Colorado in 1907. New York State declared Columbus Day a state holiday in 1909. The popularization of the holiday in various American states is associated with the activities of the Catholic movement “Knights of Columbus,” which was a Catholic society.

This holiday was given state status in 1937 on the initiative of President Roosevelt.

Initially, the holiday was celebrated on the twelfth of October, but forty years ago Nixon decided to move the official celebration to the Monday closest to the date. After the adoption of a federal reform of public holidays in 1971, Columbus Day in the United States is celebrated on the second Monday of October. This holiday differs from other national celebrations in the United States in its informality.

Unlike, for example, Christmas, many people work on Columbus Day, but those who have the day off can fully enjoy the holiday events. One of the most important components of Columbus Day celebrations in the United States are parades - from small parades in small towns to colorful performances that attract thousands of spectators in large cities like New York and San Francisco.

This day is especially honored in places where there is a high density of former Italian emigrants - in San Francisco, as well as in New York. Italian communities use this holiday even more as a day of Italian culture and their historical homeland, and other US citizens gladly join them in this.

Although Nevada, California and Hawaii, for example, do not celebrate Columbus Day, businesses are allowed to operate, but government offices are generally closed. Nobody holds any special celebrations, only the US flag is raised above government buildings.

The state of Columbia in South America, the Columbia Plateau and the Columbia River in North America, the Federal District of Columbia in the USA and the province of British Columbia in Canada bear the name of Columbus; There are five cities in the United States named Columbus and four named Columbia.

In many places, such as Berkeley, California, Columbus Day is replaced by Indigenous Peoples' Day to honor the people of the islands where Columbus landed.

But there are people in the United States for whom Columbus Day is not a holiday - these are the Indians. After all, in their opinion, it was Columbus who was to blame for the fact that Europeans brought disease, death, and poverty to the continent, and drove the surviving Indians into reservations. Several years ago, as a result of a lawsuit by a number of American Indian organizations, the city of Denver (Colorado) demanded that the organizers of the next holiday parade provide an official document stating that during the parade they would not use the name or image of the great navigator in any way, but During the performances the name of Columbus will not be heard. The Indians considered the mention of Columbus's name in a positive context to be a manifestation of discrimination.

In addition, every year on the eve of Columbus Day in Denver, Indians hold their own alternative procession - a protest march against this holiday. Almost every year it is accompanied by mass riots and arrests of their instigators.

Day of Cultures in Costa Rica

On October 12, Costa Rica celebrates America's Discovery Day. On October 12, Christopher Columbus discovered America and the first Europeans arrived on the shores of the New World.

Although, by and large, this day is not a holiday in this country. Over the years of its independence, Costa Rica has become home to many immigrants from various countries and today it is a truly international state. This holiday, which in Costa Rica has its own special traditions, calls for integration and good neighborliness.

Christopher Columbus was lucky enough to discover the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica during his fourth voyage to the New World. Costa Rica is considered the whitest country in the region. This country is the quietest and most prosperous of all Central American countries. It is often called tropical Switzerland.

When the Spanish flotilla approached these fertile lands, it was surrounded by Indians who decorated themselves with gold plates. The sailors thought that they had finally found a coast rich in gold, which is why they called it “golden”. However, no noble metals could be found, so the coast had to be renamed simply “rich.” This is how the name “Costa Rica” or “Rich Coast” appeared.

America's Discovery Day, October 12, is celebrated mainly only in schools as “Cultural Day”. Schools hold thematic classes on the theme of the “Day of Cultures”. This is timed to coincide with the friendship of peoples and the combination of different civilizations in the country - Spanish, African, local Indians and many others.

In this case, the solemn event emphasizes the friendship of peoples and the unification of many cultures in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica welcomes and gladly accepts any migrants, provided that they come with good intentions and join a friendly, hard-working team.

Before Christopher Columbus discovered the Bahamas in 1492, they were inhabited by Indian tribes of the Arawaks, who were taken by the conquistadors to the mines of South America, where they soon became completely extinct.

The first settlers who inhabited the Bahamas after the Indians were Europeans who found freedom of religion on the island of Eleuthera.

The Bahamas was also used as a refuge by pirates, and after the American War of Independence and the Civil War, the royalists came with slaves. Slaves, in fact, were the ancestors of the bulk of today's population of the Bahamas.

Columbus Day is celebrated annually in the United States in honor of the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the New World (on the island of San Salvador, also known as Weitling Island and now part of the British Bahamas) on October 12, 1492.

This event is celebrated in a number of countries with annual holidays - in the Bahamas it is Opening Day. Recently, it has also been called the Day of National Heroes, although many locals in the old-fashioned way call it the Day of the Discovery of the New World. In all cities on this day there are festive processions and parades, musical and theatrical performances, all government agencies and banks are closed.

Hispanidad Day in Spain

Every year on October 12, the National Day of Spain is celebrated. It was on October 12, 1492 that Spanish ships under the command of Christopher Columbus reached the shores of America. Thanks to this discovery, the name of the navigator and discoverer is included among the greatest and famous people who made a great contribution to world history.

In 1913, a Latin American lawyer, entrepreneur, and then occupying the influential post of head of the Latin American Union, Faustino Rodriguez San Pedro, made a proposal to celebrate October 12 annually as a holiday for the Spanish-speaking community.

This holiday, since 1918, began to be solemnly celebrated by all Spaniards living in Latin America.

As a sign of respect for the peoples of South America, since 1935 it has been officially accepted to consider this day as Hispanidad Day.

In 1981, by royal decree, Spanishidad Day was proclaimed a national holiday.

For several years it was celebrated under the old name, but in 1987 it was renamed the Spanish National Day and became one of the country's two main public holidays, along with Constitution Day.

The word Hispanidad, translated from Spanish, can be called a commonwealth or community of Spanish-speaking peoples. In the last century, this day, which often had an imperial character, was symbolized with the Spanish race and the Spanish spirit, which is probably why many Spaniards remember the Spanish colonial empire with a certain amount of nostalgia.

In modern Spain, October 12 is considered the birthday of the commonwealth of peoples speaking Spanish, a holiday of the Spanish people, Spanish civilization.

The celebration of this day begins annually from the central square of Madrid, where a ceremonial parade of the Spanish National Guard takes place.

Indian Resistance Day in Venezuela

In the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, during the First International Gathering of Indians of All America, timed to coincide with the next anniversary of the discovery of America, which is celebrated on October 12, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that in fairness this day should be called the “Day of Indian Resistance.”

On October 12, 2002, the President of the Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez Frias, signed Decree No. 2.028 on the Renaming of the Celebrations of October 12, a date that is very important for the aborigines throughout the Americas. Thus, since 2002, this date has been celebrated as Indian Resistance Day.

In order to honor the struggle of the indigenous population against foreign conquerors. Since last year, changes have been made to the school history course curriculum, now Columbus is considered not the discoverer of America, but the organizer of the extermination of the natives of America.

The program includes the laying of wreaths in the Pantheon at the sarcophagus of Libertador Simon Bolivar and the symbolic monument of the Indian leader Guaicaipuro, a festive Indian fair and folk festival at Los Proceros, a gala evening at the Teresa Carreño Theater.

The Venezuelan people pay tribute to the courage and bravery of the continent's indigenous peoples and their rich and distinctive culture.

Hugo Chavez greeted representatives of the Indian peoples of both Americas gathered in Caracas. In a powerful and emotional speech, Chavez said the discovery, made in 1492, began a 150-year "genocide" of indigenous Indians by foreign conquerors who behaved "worse than Hitler." “Christopher Columbus began the largest invasion and genocide ever seen in human history,” the president said. – When the conquistadors arrived on the continent, almost 90 million indigenous people lived here. After 150 years, there were a little more than 3 million left... The Spanish, English and Portuguese conquerors, it turns out, during these long years they killed an Indian every 10 minutes!” Chavez paid tribute to many heroes of the Indian resistance of North and South America. He also emphasized that the great Liberators of South America remembered the rights of indigenous peoples, and cited the example of Simon Bolivar, who on May 20, 1820 in Cúcuta signed a decree restoring the rights of the Indians and returning their lands.

In 2004, a group of supporters of Hugo Chavez broke and took away a bronze statue of the “discoverer” to an unknown location. March 2009: According to the Associated Press, the prefect of Caracas (an area of the capital of Venezuela) ordered the removal of a statue of Christopher Columbus. The country's President Hugo Chavez warmly approved this official's decision, saying during a televised speech that, having reached America more than 5 centuries ago,

Race Day in Argentina

This is a national holiday - Columbus Day, or America's Day. According to historical data, it was on this day in 1492 that Christopher Columbus set foot and “discovered” a new continent. This day is also called Race Day - in honor of the peoples who inhabited Argentina. After all, after the discovery of America, the Spaniards, English, and French came to the land of the Incas, although there were more Spaniards.

On this day, the people of Argentina celebrate the anniversary of the discovery of America. It has been declared a holiday in the country. People attend festive church services, as well as other events. Although commercial organizations still operate, they are mainly in the service sector.

Race Day is a holiday in honor of the local peoples who inhabited Argentina. The peoples of the American continent in its different parts were formed in different ways; the only common point was the discovery of Columbus. South America attracted newcomers, mainly Spaniards, primarily with the fabulous wealth of the Aztecs and Incas, their gold and silver. And colonization of the lands seemed unrealistic due to the destructive climate of the coastal jungle. Therefore, a type of conquistador-adventurer was formed, rushing here for “quick fortune” without wives, children, or brides remaining in Spain.

On this day, worship groups perform songs in their native language with translation into Spanish, as well as dance, theater and mime groups. It is a day of praise and worship in all languages.

Movement against Columbus Day celebrations

This movement against Columbus Day dates back to the 19th century, when anti-migrant groups refused to celebrate the holiday.

For the indigenous people of the country, this holiday is a day of mourning. After all, Europeans brought death, disease, and poverty to America, discovered by Columbus, and expelled the Indians from their lands, settling them on reservations.

Therefore, in many cities, the indigenous population organizes marches on this day, which may be accompanied by arrests and riots.

From the point of view of the indigenous peoples, Columbus's arrival on the shores of America was a disaster from the very beginning. Although Columbus wrote in his diaries that the Indians secretly showed him the most generous hospitality, he began by enslaving and killing the Indian peoples living on the islands of the Caribbean.

As his famous biographer Samuel Eliot Morison writes in his book “Admiral of the Seas and Oceans,” Columbus was personally responsible for the enslavement and extermination of the indigenous population. It was he who created the encomienda system (the right to use the land with the Indians living on it), which tied the Indians to the land stolen from them by European invaders.

An October 1976 issue of American Heritage magazine states that Columbus foresaw genocide against the Taino people living in what is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Consequently, this explorer, despite his historical fame, deserves neither reverence, respect, nor the laurels of a hero; and certainly he does not deserve a public holiday in his honor.

Supporters of Columbus Day celebrations argue that the Indians are unfair to him, considering him as a contemporary, and not a person who lived by the moral principles and laws of the 15th century. Such arguments assume that no legal or moral principles existed for Columbus or other countries in 1492. As Roger Williams writes in his book American Indian in Western Legal Thought, at that time the principles of law and morality not only existed, but also provided for the protection of the indigenous population from invasion and robbery. Unfortunately, the issue of Columbus or the celebration of the day in his honor is not so easy to solve simply by revealing the truth about Columbus as a person.

The image of Christopher Columbus as a brave hero raises a lot of doubts. In the Bahamas, Columbus and his men enslaved the local population. As governor of Haiti, Columbus allegedly subjected the local population to horrendous torture.

Columbus Day is a national and international phenomenon that reflects the myriad myths and historical lies that have been used for centuries to dehumanize Indians, justifying the theft of their lands, the deliberate destruction of entire nations, and genocide against our people.

Since the 15th century, the myth of Columbus's discovery of America has been used to create laws and policies that reek of Orwellian demagoguery, theft has been equated with the spread of civilization, genocide has been advocated as a means of ridding savages of barbarism, and the extermination of entire Indian peoples has implied the superiority of European values and social institutions over Indian.

Columbus Day perpetuates the racist assumption that, before the arrival of Europeans, the Western Hemisphere was a waste land where hordes of savages roamed awaiting the blessing of European civilization. Across the globe, educational systems actively promote these myths, while forgetting the significant contribution of Indians to world culture and implying that these savages should be grateful for colonization and microwaves.

As Alfred Crosby, Kirkpatrick Sale, and Jack Weatherford have demonstrated in their writings, the Western Hemisphere, before the arrival of Europeans, was not only a fertile land in itself before 1492, but its people also made significant contributions. into world civilization, such as the model for US constitutional government, agricultural plants that now make up 60% of the diet, and hundreds of medicinal herbs and techniques that are used in modern medicine

The Indians gave chocolate to the world. They were the first to prepare the “chocolatl” drink from ground cocoa beans combined with honey, hot pepper and corn.

Before the arrival of Europeans, the islands were inhabited by Arawak Indian tribes. Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit the Bahamas. From that time on, Spanish expansion began. Approximately 40,000 Indians were taken from the islands by the Spanish to work in the mines or for pearling.

As a result, for almost 135 years, the Bahamas were deserted and were only a refuge for pirates. In 1647, the first British colony was founded on the islands. Later, the British brought African slaves here to work on cotton plantations.

In recent decades, Native Americans and other groups of the population have also opposed the celebration of an event that indirectly led to the colonization of the American continents and the destruction of millions of aborigines: Europeans became carriers of infectious diseases such as smallpox, influenza, the victims of which were every tenth representative of the local population; Many Aboriginal lives were claimed by military clashes between the colonialists and the indigenous population.

In many Latin American countries, the anniversary of Columbus's landing on American soil is traditionally celebrated as Nation's Day, which celebrates the diverse roots of the Latin American population. In Venezuela, the holiday is known as Resistance Day in recognition of the indigenous peoples of the Americas and their experiences. Some US cities and states celebrate alternative memorial days instead of Columbus Day.

Columbus's discovery of America

The most important event in the history of great geographical discoveries, and indeed world history in general, was the discovery of America by Columbus - an event as a result of which the inhabitants of Europe discovered two continents called the New World, or America.

The confusion began with the names of the continents. There is strong evidence for the version that the lands of the New World were named after the Italian philanthropist Richard America from Bristol, who financed the trans-Atlantic expedition of John Cabot in 1497. The Florentine traveler Amerigo Vespucci, who visited the New World only in 1500 and after whom America is believed to have been named, took his nickname in honor of the already named continent.

In May 1497, Cabot reached the shores of Labrador, becoming the first recorded European to set foot on American soil, two years before Amerigo Vespucci. Cabot compiled a map of the coast of North America - from New England to Newfoundland. In the Bristol calendar for that year we read: “...on St. John the Baptist was found in the land of America by merchants from Bristol who arrived on a ship named "Matthew."

Christopher Columbus is considered the official discoverer of the New World continents.

The story of the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus

Among the great figures of world civilization, few can compare with Columbus in the number of publications devoted to his life, and at the same time in the abundance of “blank spots” in his biography. It can be more or less confidently stated that he was Genoese by origin and around 1465 he entered the Genoese fleet, and after some time was seriously wounded. Until 1485 he sailed on Portuguese ships, lived in Lisbon and on the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo, engaged in trade, mapping and self-education. It is not clear when and where he drafted the western, in his opinion, the shortest sea route from Europe to India; the project was based on the ancient doctrine of the sphericity of the Earth and on the incorrect calculations of 15th century scientists.

Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo, Cristobal Colon) (1451–1506) - Spanish navigator of Italian origin who discovered America. He was originally from Italy. Born in Genoa between August 26 and October 31, 1451. Became a sailor at an early age and sailed the Mediterranean Sea. Perhaps he was a merchant and commanded a ship.

In the mid-1470s, Columbus settled in Portugal and joined a small colony of Italian merchants in Lisbon. In Portugal, Columbus married Felipe Moniz, the daughter of noble landowners, becoming a member of a mixed Italian-Portuguese family. It was the mother-in-law who gave Columbus the maps and documents kept by her husband, who died in 1457. Perhaps from them Columbus drew his extensive information on geography.

Having become acquainted with these sciences, Columbus came to the conclusion that using the spherical shape of the Earth, it was possible to reach India by the western route through the Atlantic Ocean, bypassing the traditional, dangerous route along Africa.

With this fantastic project, Columbus in 1483 approached the Portuguese king Juan III. The king had to give ships, people and provide them with food. In addition, Columbus demanded that the following conditions be met: if he reached Asia and discovered new lands, he would be appointed viceroy (deputy of the Spanish king) of these lands; a quarter of all income from trade with newly opened countries will be allocated to its benefit; he should be given the rank of admiral; all his titles and ranks are inherited by his children. But the king refused to finance the expedition - the idea seemed unrealistic to him, the risk was very great, and the reward that Columbus demanded was very high.

Having been refused, Columbus and his family left for Spain, hoping that his idea would be received more favorably there.

The Spanish rulers, to whom Columbus, upset by the refusal of Juan II, turned, also reacted coolly to the navigator’s idea - the long war for Granada required large cash injections from the Spanish treasury. Columbus had to wait several years before he managed to convince the Spanish royal couple to approve his expedition. Obviously, he chose the time very well to approach them again with his proposal - the end of the Reconquista (the long process of reconquest by the Iberian Christians - mainly Spaniards, Catalans and Portuguese - of the lands on the Iberian Peninsula occupied by the Moorish Emirates) allowed the royal court of Spain to take a new approach look at Columbus's ideas.

He was granted an audience with Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, who, after his report, appointed an academic council to discuss the project.

The members of the council were mainly clergy. Columbus ardently defended his project. He referred to the evidence of ancient scientists about the sphericity of the Earth, to a copy of the map of the famous Italian astronomer Toscanelli, which depicted many islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and behind them the eastern shores of Asia. He convinced the learned monks that the legends spoke of a land beyond the ocean, from the shores of which sea currents sometimes bring tree trunks with traces of their processing by people. Columbus was an educated man: he knew how to draw maps, drive ships, and knew four languages. He managed to convince the scientific council of the validity of his expectations.

The rulers of Spain believed the traveler and decided to conclude an agreement with Columbus, according to which, if successful, he would receive the title of admiral and viceroy of the lands he discovered, as well as a significant part of the profits from trade with the countries where he was able to visit. Thus began the era of geographical exploration and discovery, which began with the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.

At that time, Spain was in a difficult situation. A previously concluded treaty with Portugal prohibited Spanish (and all other ships) from sailing in the area of the western coast of Africa, thus excluding the possibility of reaching the shores of India by circumnavigating the African continent. The state treasury was depleted, and the opportunity to establish profitable trade with India was very useful for Spain.

The Spanish Church was also a supporter of the discovery of new lands in order to further spread the religion.

One can only guess what feelings drove Columbus to discover new lands - whether it was a passion for new discoveries, some religious motives, or a banal desire to ensure a comfortable existence for himself, especially considering the fact that on April 17, 1492, Columbus and the Spanish king and queen signed the Treaty of Santa Claus. Fe, according to which Columbus not only received the title of nobility, but also, if the expedition was successful, received the titles of admiral of the seas and viceroy and governor of new lands, as well as a very substantial part of the potential profits that could provide the Spanish court with his (Columbus) discoveries.

The Spanish treasury, impoverished during the Reconquista, was unable to finance it, and Columbus was forced to turn to private investors for help. Despite their participation in preparations for the expedition, there was only enough money for three not new ships, the condition of which was not at all ideal, and the crew partly consisted of people who had broken the law, who were promised freedom in exchange for participation in Columbus’s expedition.

Christopher Columbus's first expedition (1492-1493)

Finally, on August 3, 1492, these three ships - the flagship "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina" - left the port, consisting of 91 people, and set off to discover new lands.

The ships' crews consisted mainly of convicted criminals. 33 days had already passed since the expedition left the Canary Islands, and still no land was visible. The team began to grumble. To calm her down, Columbus wrote down the distances traveled in the ship's log, deliberately understating them.

Finally, on October 12, “Earth!” was heard from the Pinta’s mast, and soon the ships dropped anchor off one of the Antilles.

It was a small island with lush tropical vegetation. Tall people with dark skin lived here. The natives called their island Guanahania.

On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on this island. This date is the official date of the discovery of America.

Columbus named it San Salvador and declared it a possession of Spain. This name stuck with one of the Bahamas.

The indigenous inhabitants of the island greeted the newcomers friendly and introduced the sailors to tobacco, as well as various local plants, including tomatoes and potatoes. Since Columbus was sure that he had sailed to India, he called the local residents “Indians.”

Continuing his journey, on October 28, Columbus reached the shores of Cuba, and soon Haiti (naming it Hispaniola). Having built Fort Navidad on Hispaniola, in which he left several people, Columbus moved on. His next destination was San Domingo.

Delighted by the discovery of a new route to India (as he believed), Columbus was nevertheless very disappointed, not finding the luxurious cities and untold riches he expected. On January 4-16, 1493, he completed a survey of the northern coast of Haiti and on March 15 returned to Castile; in Palos he was greeted as a hero.

Columbus took several local Indians with him to Spain as one of the proofs of the success of his expedition.

Christopher Columbus's second expedition (1493-1496)

Christopher Columbus led the 2nd expedition already with the rank of admiral, and in the position of viceroy of the newly discovered lands, it consisted of 17 ships with a crew of over 1.5 thousand people

With this composition, the expedition arrived in Isabella, the first Spanish settlement in San Domingo.

Using the labor of local Indians, the Spaniards began work on gold mining. In pursuit of profit, Columbus constantly demanded the Indians to work more and more, which contributed to the aggravation of their already difficult relations.

During the second expedition, Columbus discovered the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe, turning to the North-West, about 20 more Lesser Antilles, including Antigua and the Virgin Islands, and a little later the island of Puerto Rico and approached the northern coast of Haiti.

In March 1494, Columbus, in search of gold, made an aggressive campaign into Haiti, and crossed the Cordillera Central ridge. On April 29-May 3, Columbus with 3 ships sailed along the southeastern coast of Cuba, turned south from Cape Cruz and discovered the island on May 5. Jamaica.

Returning to Cape Cruz, Columbus sailed along the southern coast of Cuba to 84° west longitude, discovering the Jardines de la Reina archipelago, the Zapata Peninsula and Pinos Island.

In 1496, Columbus returned to Spain.

Third expedition of Christopher Columbus (1498-1500)

The 3rd expedition (1498-1500) consisted of 6 ships, 3 of which Christopher Columbus himself led across the Atlantic Ocean.

On July 31, 1498, he discovered the island of Trinidad, entered the Gulf of Paria from the south, discovered the mouth of the western branch of the Orinoco River delta and the Paria Peninsula, marking the beginning of the discovery of South America.

Then leaving for the Caribbean Sea, Christopher Columbus approached the Araya Peninsula, discovered Margarita Island on August 15, and arrived in the city of Santo Domingo on August 31.

However, during his absence, the Spaniards remaining in the colony rebelled against the admiral, dividing the land and the Indians among themselves and continuing to work in their own interests, regardless of the interests of the Spanish crown. Returning Columbus had to negotiate with the rebels, allocating them a plot of land and Indians as slaves. Such a policy, of course, had a negative impact on relations with the Indians.

Columbus's initial plans to trade with the inhabitants of new lands changed dramatically when he realized that, from an economic point of view, it was much more profitable for him to subjugate the Indians than to trade with them. Columbus’s cruelty towards the local Indians, which increased their already great discontent, the too low profits brought by the colonies, as well as suspicions that Columbus was simply hiding the wealth he found in the new lands, led the Spanish rulers to the idea that in order to manage Another person should be appointed as the new lands. The royal inspector Francisco de Bobadilla, who arrived in Hispaniola in 1500, arrested Columbus and sent him to Spain.

But soon the rulers of Spain ordered the release of the famous navigator. Columbus managed to convince them that there was gold and other riches in the lands he discovered, and they just had to look hard for them.

The fourth expedition of Christopher Columbus (1502-1504)

June 15 - moving through the Lesser Antilles, discovered the island of Martinique. June 29 - fleeing a sea storm, he asked the governor of Hispaniola, Nicholas Ovando, for permission to take refuge in the harbor of Santo Domingo, but he was refused. Fortunately, Columbus's ships weathered the storm.

July - Columbus moved west along the southern coast of Hispaniola and Jamaica. He intended to reach the mainland in the west and find the strait, following along the coast. July 30 - Columbus approached the northern coast of the land inhabited by the Mayans (Honduras).

September 18 - The Mosquito Coast (Nicaragua) and the "Gold Coast" (later Costa Rica, the "Rich Coast") are opened. October 5 - Columbus learned from the Indians of the country of Veragua that the South Sea (the Gulf of Panama in the Pacific Ocean) can be reached through a narrow but mountainous strip of land (the Isthmus of Panama).

October 17 - Mosquitos Bay is opened. Local residents spoke about the existence in the south of a country inhabited by warlike people who ride animals, wear shells, and wield swords, bows and arrows (obviously, they were talking about Peru, a highly developed Inca state, whose inhabitants used llamas as pack animals). November - Columbus's ships have difficulty moving along the coast of Panama.

December - The expedition celebrates the new year 1503 in the bay, which 400 years later will become the northern entrance to the Panama Canal.

Only 65 km separates Columbus from the Pacific Ocean, but he will never overcome them. January 1503 - Columbus returns to Mosquitos Bay. He wants to leave a colony here under the command of his brother Bartolome, but the local Indians are so warlike that he abandons this intention. April 16 - Columbus puts to sea and resumes his search for the strait, moving east.

On June 25, 1503, she was wrecked off the island of Jamaica; help from Santo Domingo came only a year later. Christopher Columbus returned to Castile on November 7, 1504.

The great navigator spent the last years of his life in oblivion. On May 20, 1506, Columbus died, a poor, sick man, still believing that the land he had discovered was India.

After Columbus's death in 1506, his ashes were first buried in Seville (Spain), but then Emperor Charles V decided to fulfill his dying wish and bury him in the West Indies. The remains of Columbus were taken to the island of Hispaniola (as Haiti was called at that time) in 1540 and buried in Santo Domingo. When, at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, part of Hispaniola passed from the Spaniards to the French (and became known as Haiti), the ashes were transported to Cuba to the Havana Cathedral. After the expulsion of the Spaniards from this island in 1898, the ashes of the navigator were returned to Santo Domingo, and then to Seville.

Columbus's tomb is located in the Seville Cathedral.

However, at the end of the 19th century, during the restoration of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, the oldest in the New World, a box with bones was discovered, on which it was written that they belonged to Columbus. After this, a dispute arose between Seville and Santo Domingo over the right to be considered the place where the great navigator rests. In 2003, a group of geneticists and anthropologists led by a professor of forensic medicine at the University of Granada and the FBI Academy at Quantico, José Antonio Lorente, began researching this issue. An analysis of the supposed remains of Columbus, exhumed in Seville, showed, however, that they belonged to a rather fragile 45-year-old man, while Christopher Columbus, on the contrary, had a very strong build and died at the age of 55 to 60 years.

The northern region includes the entire Yucatan Peninsula

Coat of arms of Christopher Columbus

For his great discoveries, Columbus was granted a noble coat of arms by the Catholic monarchs, on which “the castle of Castile and the lion of Leon (Spanish castillo - castle, Spanish león - lion) were adjacent to images of the islands he discovered, as well as anchors - symbols of the admiral’s title.”

His son Diego married the niece of the Duke of Alba and demanded from the Spanish crown the provision of the Isthmus of Panama (the country of Veragua), discovered by his father during his last voyage. Disputes about the status of these lands and the rights of Columbus's descendants to them dragged on for almost 30 years. In 1536, Columbus's grandson announced his renunciation of claims to the lands discovered by his grandfather and the income from them, for which King Carlos I rewarded him with a substantial pension with the titles of Marquis of Jamaica and Duke of Veragua. Subsequently, these titles were borne by the descendants of Diego's eldest daughter - the younger Alvareshi, and then the Fitzjames (descendants of the Duke of Berwick). In the 19th century, the holder of the title “Duke of Veragua”, as a sign of his descent from Columbus, changed the surname “FitzJames” to “Cristóbal Colón”. From Diego's youngest daughter comes the Guadalian branch of the Catalan Cardona family.

Objects named after Columbus

Without in any way casting doubt on the great achievement of Christopher Columbus, it is nevertheless worth noting that formally he only discovered islands off the coast of Central America. As for continental America, Columbus visited it only on his third trip, and he had never been to North America at all.

Columbus's greatest merit was that he completed a journey that seemed absolutely fantastic to his contemporaries. Convinced that the earth was spherical, Columbus knew that by going in the opposite direction than was customary, the same goal could be achieved. Along the way, he made a number of discoveries:

Archipelago of the Greater Antilles;

Mouth of the Orinoco River;

Central America.

But he was not aware of what he had discovered. Captivated by the idea of reaching India, he did not compare reality with theory, was not interested in his discoveries from a scientific point of view, but strived only for wealth and honors. This became the curse of his life.

Many geographical objects received the name of Columbus, at their head, of course, should be placed:

South American Republic of Colombia;

Columbia River in the northwestern United States

At the border between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, Mount Columbia rises; the second mountain of the same name is located in Colorado.

The northernmost cape of Canada (on Ellesmere Island) is also called Columbia. There are several lakes in southeastern British Columbia named Columbia. The most important port of Panama on the Caribbean Sea is called Colon, which corresponds to the Spanish pronunciation of the surname of the great traveler.

Reusable transport spacecraft Columbia

City in the Panama Canal Zone Colon;

Colon is a city on the Atlantic shore of the Panama Canal, the administrative center of the province of Colon.

Monetary units of Costa Rica and El Salvador are colon;

Without exception, all issued banknotes of all years of issue and all denominations had a portrait of Columbus on the reverse side.

Pedro Alonso Niño in 1499-1500. visited the Pearl Coast west of the Gulf of Paria in the Caribbean Sea and brought home 38 kg of pearls - this was the richest overseas catch of the Spaniards in the 15th century.

With Alonso Ojeda, a representative of the Florentine bankers who financed the enterprise, Amerigo Vespucci, also went on the expedition in 1499, as a pilot and cartographer, Juan de la Cosa and notary Rodrigo de Bastidas. Approaching the South American continent at a latitude of approximately 5° N. sh., Ojeda headed northwest, walked 1,200 km along the coast of Guiana and Venezuela to the Orinoco delta, then through the straits to the Caribbean Sea and to the Pearl Coast.

Meanwhile, Amerigo Vespucci, moving to the southeast, discovered the mouths of the Amazon and Para rivers. Having sailed 100 kilometers upstream in boats, he was never able to land on shore due to the dense forest. Movement further to the southeast was extremely difficult by a strong oncoming current. This is how the Guiana Current was discovered. In total, Vespucci discovered about 1,200 kilometers of the northeastern coast of South America. Returning back to the north and northwest, Vespucci landed in Trinidad, and later linked up with Ojeda's ships. Together they explored the coast west of the Pearl Coast, discovered the eastern part of the Caribbean Andes, participated in armed skirmishes with unfriendly Indians, and discovered the islands of Curacao and Aruba - the westernmost of the Lesser Antilles.

In December 1499, another member of Columbus's first expedition, Vicente Yanez Pinzon, went overseas. He was the first of the Spaniards to cross the equator, and on January 26, 1500, he went, as it later turned out, to the easternmost tip of the South American continent - Cape San Roqui. Pinson landed on shore and executed an act of taking possession of the country, which would later be called Brazil. Moving from here to the northwest, Pinson, for the second time after Vespucci, discovered the mouth of the Para, the Amazon, reached Guiana and the mouth of the Orinoco.

In October 1500, Rodrigo de Bastidas sailed from Cadiz with two ships. Upon reaching the shores of South America, Bastidas explored about 1000 km of the Caribbean coast, discovered the mouth of the Magdalena River, as well as the Gulf of Darien and the Gulf of Uraba (northern coast of Colombia). The expedition members were the first to explore the interior of the continent in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region. He was forced to return to Santo Domingo, having previously been the first European to set foot on the Isthmus of Panama. During his voyage in 1502, Bastidas found a lot of gold, but was arrested by the governor of Hispaniola, Francisco de Bobadilla, on charges of illegal trade and sent to Spain.

At the same time, several more not only Spanish (the main purpose of which was to search for gold, pearls and capture slaves for sale in Spain), but also Portuguese expeditions took place (Discovery of Brazil on April 24, 1500 by Pedro Alvares Cabral, two expeditions to the Brazilian shores 1501 -1502 and 1503-1504 by Gonzalo Coelho with the participation of Amerigo Vespucci), as a result of which the outlines of the northern and eastern coasts of the new continent began to become clearer, and it turned out that a significant part of it was located south of the equator, which means it could not be Asia.

Sources and links

tiwy.com - news archive, the first international gathering of Indians in Venezuela

wiki.ru - articles on the history of great geographical discoveries

porti.ru - information portal, Columbus Day in America

ambitour.ru - tours and travel around the world

redigo.ru - America celebrates its Discovery Day

etravel.by - countries and hotels, Costa Rica

smtur.com - tours to Spain, holidays in Spain

intergid.ru - travel company, Argentina

argentina.forumy.eu - Cosmopolitan K forum, Argentina through the eyes of an immigrant

geografer.ru - great travelers of the world Christopher Columbus

radioner.ru - book - Schooner "Columbus"

ru.wikipedia.org - Wikipedia – the free encyclopedia

calend.ru – event calendar, traveler’s calendar

helena54.narod.ru - background to the Age of Discovery

piplz.ru - site about people - biographies of celebrities, articles, news

country.turmir.com – tour World, guide - countries of the world

yandex.ru - Yandex pictures, videos

web-eurohost.biz - Forex opening hours

forexua.com - Forex – foreign exchange market

We continue our section Day in history. October 12 - not a very eventful day. But still something interesting for readers Federal agency we dug up news.

Holidays

On this day the American continent celebrates Columbus Day which is considered a day Discovery of America. In the USA and the Bahamas it is an official holiday. The fact is that on this day back in 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered the islands of San Salvador, and traditionally this date is considered the official day of the “discovery of America.” The Orthodox Church remembers this Hieromartyr John, Archbishop of Riga, who was brutally tortured in Riga on October 12, 1934. The Russian emigrant press wrote that Bishop John was killed for his anti-Bolshevik position. More than one hundred thousand people took part in the funeral of the murdered archbishop. In 1981, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) recognized John of Riga as a martyr, and later the canonization was confirmed by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Other events on October 12

In 782 BC. e. was founded by the Urartian king Argishti I Yerevan city. In 539 BC. e. the Persians captured Babylon, and in 322 BC. e. Athenian orator and politician Demosthenes committed suicide by taking poison to avoid falling into the hands of his enemies. In 1931, on this day, it was opened and consecrated Savior statue on top of Corcovado hill, which became symbol of Rio de Janeiro. In 1953 Fidel Castro made his famous speech at the trial, “History will vindicate me!” In 1968 on this day XIX Olympic Games opened in Mexico City, which became the most “high mountain” in history. In 1971, the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” premiered on Broadway, and in 1999, he was born in Sarajevo. Earth's six billionth inhabitant. October 12, 2000 in Ramallah a crowd of Arabs stormed the local police station and lynched two Israeli soldiers captured by Palestinian police.

Birthdays October 12

On this day in 1350 the hero of the Kulikovo Field was born Dmitry Donskoy. And in 1771 one of the predecessors was born Georgy Poltavchenko as Governor of St. Petersburg - Count Mikhail Andreevich Miloradovich, general, hero of the War of 1812, killed by the Decembrist Kakhovsky. In 1929, on this day, the actor and director was born Rolan Bykov, in 1858 – journalist Mikhail Leontyev, and in 1960 - former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Kudrin.

Signs

This day is popularly called Kiriak Otkhodnik. By this time, gray fogs hang over the fields, about which folk sayings developed: “The sad woman Maremyan is woven from fog,” “Theophanes threw a caftan on the sun.” On this day, a clear starry sky at night was considered a good omen; about the stars they said: “We have a basket full of turnips under our window.”

The Age of Great Geographical Discovery completely transformed the Europeans' understanding of the world. New continents, islands, and straits began to appear on maps. It was during this glorious time that the discovery of America by Columbus took place - an event that still causes a lot of controversy, speculation and even myths. In the period from the 15th to the 17th centuries, previously unknown products, spices, jewelry, and fabrics were discovered in Europe. Great navigators were glorified, they were awarded ranks and important positions. However, this did not happen to everyone.

Discovery of America: historical information

The first journey of the cartographer, navigator and discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus, to the shores of the new continent began in 1492 (August 3). Three ships set sail from Spain into the unknown. Their names are forever preserved in the tablets of history: “Santa Maria”, “Pinta”, “Nina”. For more than two months, the crew and the great navigator himself suffered hardships. “Along the way” (September 16), the expedition discovered a new geographical object - the Sargasso Sea, which amazed Columbus and his companions with unprecedented masses of green algae.

Santa Maria, Pinta, Niña - schooners on which Columbus's expedition discovered America

On October 12 (13?) the caravels moored to the shore. Christopher Columbus and other participants in the journey were confident that they had finally reached India, because this was precisely the goal of the expedition. In reality, the Spaniards landed on the island of San Salvador. However, this significant day is officially considered the date of the discovery of America.

Portrait of Christopher Columbus - discoverer of America, Spanish subject

Stepping ashore, Christopher Columbus, the greatest, mysterious and unfortunate, as it turned out later, navigator of the Age of Discovery, hoisted the Castilian banner on an unknown piece of land and immediately declared himself the discoverer and formal owner of the island. A notarial deed was even drawn up. Columbus was sure that he had landed in the vicinity of China, Japan or India. In a word - in Asia. That is why for a very long time cartographers called the Bahamas archipelago the West Indies.

Columbus's landing on the American coast. Local natives mistook Spanish sailors for gods

For two weeks, the caravels stubbornly moved south, skirting the shores of South America. Christopher Columbus marked on the map new islands of the Bahamas archipelago: Cuba and Haiti, which his fleet reached on December 6, but already on December 25 the Santa Maria ran aground. The grand expedition to uncharted shores, which resulted in the discovery of America, has come to an end. The Niña returned to Castile on March 15, 1493. Together with Columbus, the natives arrived in Europe, whom the navigator brought with him - they began to be called. Caravels brought potatoes, corn, tobacco to Spain - unprecedented products from another continent. But this was not the end of Columbus's discoveries.

Discovery of America: continuation of Columbus's sea voyages

The second expedition of Christopher Columbus, who discovered America, lasted 3 years (1493-1496). The great navigator of the Age of Discovery led it already with the rank of admiral. He was granted the post of Viceroy of America, or more precisely of those lands that he managed to discover during his first sea voyage. Not three caravels, as the first time, but a whole fleet, consisting of 17 ships, set sail from the Spanish shores. The crew number was 1.5 thousand people. During this voyage, Columbus discovered Guadeloupe, the island of Dominica and Jamaica, Antigua and Puerto Rico, completing the voyage by June 11, 1496.

Columbus's voyages to the American coast

Interesting fact. Columbus's third sea voyage to America was not so brilliant. He managed to discover “only” the islands of Trinidad and Margarita, discover the mouth of the Orinoco River and the Paria Peninsula, which became an important milestone in the discovery of America.

But Columbus didn't stop there. He obtained permission from the royal couple to organize another expedition to the mysterious continent. The fourth and, as it turned out, the last expedition in Columbus’s life to the shores of America lasted 2 years (1502-1504). The great navigator set off with 4 ships, and during the voyage he discovered Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. In 1503 (June 25), the flotilla was wrecked off the coast of Jamaica.

Parting words of the august persons of Spain before the departure of Columbus's expedition

Only in 1504 did the great Christopher Columbus return to Castile. Sick, exhausted, practically destitute. A man who spent his entire life replenishing the coffers of the crowned heads of Spain spent all his savings on equipping a rescue expedition for the crew of one of his caravels. In 1506, the great explorer of the Age of Discovery and the man who discovered America died in poverty. The public learned about his death only 27 years later.

Discovery of America: little-known facts

Why did America, discovered by Columbus, receive the name of another person who was not even a navigator? It was Amerigo Vespucci, a merchant and participant in a maritime expedition to the shores of South America, who was the first to suggest that the new continent was not Asia, but an unknown land. The enterprising businessman did not hesitate to inform cartographers and the “powers of this world” about his guess in letters. In 1506, an atlas was published in France, where the new land was indicated, and it bore the name Amerigo. A little later, a division into the Central and Northern parts appeared.

The first meeting of Spanish sailors with American Indians

Interesting fact. It is generally accepted that Christopher Columbus discovered America on October 12th. In fact, at this time he landed in the Bahamas, but reached the continent only a month later. Only during the second expedition was America discovered - in 1493, when the shores of a new land were reached - Colombia, which bears the name of the navigator.

Before Christopher Columbus, a huge number of ships landed on the shores of America. This is not fiction, but a long-proven fact. We can assume that America was discovered by the Norwegian Vikings, and this happened several centuries before the first expedition of the great navigator. The sites of brave warriors were found on the territory of modern Canada.

Santa Maria - Columbus's ship on which he discovered America

Another version, not without foundation, says that America was discovered by the Templars. The Knights of the Order, founded back in 1118, constantly made pilgrimages around the world on their ships. During one of their wanderings they landed on the shores of a new continent.

Interesting fact. It was the Templar fleet that served as the basis of the world pirate flotilla. The flag that is familiar to everyone is a black cloth with a skull and crossbones - the battle banner of the knights of the ancient Order.

The Incas and Mayans were the first aborigines whom Columbus met when he discovered America

Is there evidence that it was the Templars who discovered America? If we do not take into account the fact that it was after several trips to the shores of an unknown continent that the Order’s treasury was significantly replenished, then we can turn to more significant evidence. In the small town of Roslyn (near Edinburgh) there is an ancient chapel. Among the images that decorate its walls are drawings of maize and aloe - typical representatives of the flora of the American continent. The construction of the chapel was completed long before Columbus discovered America.

In contact with

Columbus Day is holiday in honor of the anniversary of Columbus's arrival in America, which occurred on October 12, 1492 according to the Julian calendar (October 21, 1492 according to the Gregorian calendar).

On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus's expedition reached the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas, which was later adopted as the official date of the discovery of America.

Although in most other American countries Columbus Day celebrated on October 12, in the United States it is celebrated on the second Monday of October.

On this day, the US population celebrates the anniversary of the opening of its countries, attending holiday church services and other events. Some cities host special services, parades and large ceremonies. Most celebrations center around Italian-American communities. The holiday events held in New York and San Francisco deserve special mention.

Columbus Day is a public holiday in many parts USA, but in some states, for example, California, Nevada, Hawaii, the day is not celebrated. Government offices and schools are generally closed, but businesses can operate. The national flag is raised over government buildings USA.

Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo, Cristobal Colon) (1451-1506) - Spanish navigator of Italian origin who discovered America.

Columbus made four expeditions to America and died in the belief that he had discovered a new route to India and Asia - and not to North and South America, as in fact it was.

Columbus was not the first European to successfully cross the Atlantic. Around the 11th century, the Vikings established a settlement in Newfoundland. In addition, there is debate among scientists about other pre-Columbian sea voyages to America. However, it was thanks to Columbus that constant communication began between Europeans and the inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere.

Since the United States was founded by English colonists, and not by Columbus and his followers, in the United States the day of Columbus’s “discovery of America” was not celebrated at all for many years. Italian immigrants were the first to celebrate the holiday every year, since Columbus was considered Italian.

But the nationality of Christopher Columbus is still the subject of scientific debate. The main version says that he was born in Italy, but some scholars indicate Spain, Portugal and even Greece. Columbus mastered the art of navigation in Portugal, but it was Portugal that sponsored his historical expedition of 1492.

In 1937, Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday, which was originally set for October 12. In 1971, he moved the celebration from October 12 to the second Monday in October to join it with the weekend.

In New York, Denver and many other cities there is a magnificent parade on Columbus Day. Throughout country There are also sports festivals, fairs, and fireworks displays in the evening.

In many places, such as Berkeley, state California, Columbus Day has been replaced by Indigenous Peoples' Day in honor of the people of the islands on which Columbus's expedition landed. In South Dakota, this holiday is called American Indian Day, and in Alabama, Columbus Day is celebrated on the same day as Indian Heritage Day. In Hawaii, this holiday is called America's Discovery Day.

On Columbus Day in the United States, all federal government offices are closed, as well as most banks. Schools are generally open on this day, as are most American businesses.

This event is also celebrated in a number of other countries with annual holidays: on Bahamas it's opening day on Spain- A holiday of Spanish-speaking peoples, and in most countries of Latin America - Race Day.

The Colombian Republic is named after Columbus. burning continent, Columbia Plateau and River Republic of Colombia in North America, Federal District Colombian Republic in the USA and the province of the British Republic in Canada; There are five cities in the United States named Columbus and four called the Colombian Republic.

Columbus Day is

Since the 18th century, unofficially and since the beginning of the 20th century, officially, every year on October 12, many countries of the New World, as well as some others, celebrate the anniversary of Columbus's arrival in America, which occurred on October 12, 1492 according to the Julian calendar (October 21, 1492 according to the Gregorian calendar) . In the United States, this holiday takes place annually on the second Monday of October.

Sources

Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia, WikiPedia

calend.ru - Events calendar

dinternal.com.ua - English in Ukraine

country.turmir.com - Tour World

wowshop.ua - Calendar

Investor Encyclopedia. 2013 .

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A traditional US state (federal) holiday dedicated to the anniversary of the discovery of the American continent by the navigator Christopher Columbus. Celebrated annually on the second Monday of October.

On October 12, 1492, the ships of Christopher Columbus's flotilla reached the island of Guanahani (modern Watling) in the Bahamas archipelago - the first land they encountered in the Western Hemisphere. This day is considered the official date of the discovery of America.

The first Columbus Day celebration was held in New York City on October 12, 1792, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the landing of Columbus's expedition.

The celebration was organized on the initiative of the Tammany Hall political society, which is close to the US Democratic Party, also known as the Columbian Order.

In many American cities, Columbus Day traditions are closely associated with Italian American communities.

In New York City, residents of Italian descent first celebrated Columbus Day in 1866.

The Italian community of San Francisco held its first Columbus Day celebration in 1869.
In 1892, the first official celebration of Columbus Day took place in the United States. President Benjamin Harrison appealed to the people to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. School programs, theater productions, festivals, sports events and fairs were organized throughout the country to mark the holiday.

The first American state to legalize the celebration of Columbus Day was the state of Colorado in 1907. New York State declared Columbus Day a state holiday in 1909. The popularization of the holiday in various American states is associated with the activities of the Catholic movement “Knights of Columbus”.

In 1934, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt first raised the issue of giving Columbus Day the status of a state (federal) holiday. The initiative of the head of the United States came to life in 1937.

From 1937 to 1970, Columbus Day was celebrated on October 12, and in 1971, President Richard Nixon moved the annual Columbus Day observance to the second Monday in October.

This day is a holiday in the United States: banks, post offices, public schools and most government agencies are closed.

Disputes about the primacy of Christopher Columbus in the discovery of the American continent and his contribution to the history of the United States also affected the holiday named in his honor. For many native American Indians, Columbus Day is a day of mourning. In their opinion, it was Columbus who discovered the continent to Europeans, who then brought disease, death, poverty here, and drove the surviving Indians into reservations. In this regard, every year on the eve of Columbus Day in Denver (the capital of Colorado), representatives of the Native American population organize a protest march, often accompanied by riots and arrests of their instigators.