All About the Holidays: Columbus Day
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(female narrator) The second Monday in October is Columbus Day, probably the only holiday celebrating a big goof-up. Here's what happened. Even as a kid, Christopher Columbus wanted to take risks and explore the world. In 1492, he sailed from Spain searching for a new way to India. When he reached land in October, he thought he succeeded. He even called the people he met "Indians." Columbus was way wrong. He really landed in North America. But he made history by inspiring others to explore the world. Columbus Day honors his discovery with parades and other celebrations. At first, it was popular with Italian-Americans, because Columbus was from Italy. But it became a national celebration in 1934. Some places use the day to honor Native Americans, who lived here before Columbus showed up. And that's Columbus Day.
(Describer) Funding to purchase and make this educational program accessible was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Contact the Department of Education by telephone at 1-800-USA-LEARN, or online at www dot ed dot gov.
Now Playing As: English with English captions (change)
Columbus Day celebrates Christopher Columbus's voyages to North America from Europe. Find out how Columbus made it to North America by accident. Also discover why some people observe Columbus Day to honor the people that already lived in North America before he arrived. Part of the “All About the Holidays” series.
Media Details
Runtime: 1 minutes 2 seconds
- Topic: Biographies, History, Social Science
- Subtopic: Columbus, Christopher, Holidays, World History - 1450-1799
- Grade/Interest Level: 4 - 8
- Standards:
- Release Year: 2016
- Producer/Distributor: PBS Learning Media
- Series: All About the Holidays
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