The 2nd MON in OCT is Columbus Day.
OCT 12 marks the day in 1492 when 3 wooden ships landed at the tiny island of what is now San Salvador in the Bahamas. The ships had been provided by the rulers of Spain. Their Italian captain, Christopher Columbus, was sure he had just reached “the Indies” (Japan and China) as he set out to do. His bold plan was to reach the Far East by sailing west. The “new world” Columbus found was filled with cultures older than those he’d left behind. The course of history was changed by the blending of the old and new worlds. The natives of the Americas, their gifts and their cultures, have proven to be the new world’s greatest treasure. In many Latin American countries OCT 12 is called “the Day of the Race”, for the new race formed by the marriages among Native Americans and Europeans as a result of Columbus’ voyages. In several large US cities, Italian Americans celebrate their famous countryman with parades, festivals and church services.
Original source can be found here.
