What’s Special About Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that celebrates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on October 12, 1492. It’s traditionally observed on the second Monday of October each year. The day recognizes Columbus’s voyage under the Spanish flag, which marked the beginning of sustained European exploration and colonization of the American continents.
In recent years, many U.S. states and cities have also begun observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead — a day to honor the history, culture, and resilience of Native American peoples who lived in the Americas long before Columbus arrived.
How Long Has It Been?
From 1492 to 2025, it has been 533 years since Columbus’s first voyage led to the discovery of the “New World.
That’s more than five centuries of historical impact — shaping trade, migration, and global culture.
How Columbus Discovered America
In the late 1400s, European nations were searching for a new sea route to Asia, hoping to trade spices and gold. Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, believed he could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean instead of around Africa.
Backed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, he set sail on August 3, 1492, with three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María. After more than two months at sea, on October 12, 1492, land was sighted — one of the islands in the Bahamas.
Columbus believed he had reached Asia, but he had in fact reached a part of the world previously unknown to Europeans — what we now know as the Americas. His voyages opened the door for European exploration and colonization, forever changing world history.