On August 3rd, 1492 an Italian explorer by the name of Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain to seek out a new route to India. On October 12th, 1492, after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean for 10 weeks, a crew member sighted land and the adventurer thought he had arrived . . . . . To India.

Of course, as we all know it was not the Asian subcontinent, but a small island in the Bahamas that Columbus named San Salvador. Since then, the explorer's arrival is celebrated by many countries in the Americas and also Spain.

In the USA it is called Columbus or Discoverer's day and is observed on the second Monday of October. Latin Americans call it Dia De La Raza, while the Spanish call it Dia De La Hispanidad. Both, celebrate it on October 12th, the actual day the Spaniard reached the mainland of what he thought was India. Whether you are celebrating it today or four days from now, have a great holiday.

Happy Columbus Day!

Resources: rmg.co.uk