530 years ago, Christopher Columbus launched the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria from the coast of Spain with the support of Queen Isabelle I and King Ferdinand II[1] Columbus Day is a national holiday celebrated in the Americas and many other regions on the first Monday of October to commemorate the day he discovered the Western hemisphere, commonly referred to as the New World. The famous explorer and Genoese navigator left his country between 1451 and 1506 when he made this iconic discovery on October 12, 1492[2]. Initially, the commemoration of Columbus Day was not official in some areas. Later, President F D. Roosevelt decided to make it official by declaring it a national celebration holiday[3]. It is one of the most controversial holidays in America due to the life history of Columbus and his actions in the new world. There has been growing opposition to the holiday and its associated celebration due to accusations that it romanticizes colonialism and ignores the barbaric nature settlers like Columbus treated natives. Despite all the controversy and uncertainty around the day, there are little-known facts about Columbus Day that would put the individual and the day in a new perspective.

Initially, Columbus Day was an Italian-American holiday celebrated by people closely connected to Italian heritage. It reminds them of their ability to acquire wealth and enhance their living conditions in America. The holiday is celebrated by over 20 million Italian Americans and many other non-Italian Americans[4]. Thus, they believe the holiday is more of a day to celebrate their immigration and freedom. It is contrary to the idea of celebrating the holiday as a day to commemorate Christopher Columbus as an individual. Therefore, it is worth noting that the day is significant to the history of the Italians in America[5] However, not everyone had the same connection with the holiday or drew the same significance from it. Thus, it could hardly become a nationally recognizable holiday until President Franklin Roosevelt’s intervention. The Italians could now celebrate their history, just like was the case for many other Americans. It nevertheless continued to receive opposition, notably from native Americans, due to the historical actions of Christopher Columbus on their ancestors.

Christopher Columbus later died in Spain in 1506, but his remains were returned to Hispaniola instead of being buried in Spain. However, things started getting controversial about the remains of the great explorer. People from the city of Seville and Santo Domingo began to claim that they had the remains of Christopher Columbus[6]. He died at an old age after making his fourth voyage to the New World and returning to Spain. History records that the body was first laid to rest in Valladolid, where he died in May 1506. He was later transferred from this location because he was an influential figure, and the people were concerned about the best way possible to show respect for his legacy[7]. When he was alive, he wished for his body to rest in the New World. However, the people found no building deemed worthy enough to house his remains. Thus, forcing the move of his remains in 1509 to the convent at La Cartuja, on an island of a river near Seville.

Currently, many places claim to have the remains of Christopher Columbus. Some have even gone to the extent of building attractive and impressive monuments that purport to house the remains of the explorer. Whereas the remains are housed in a sarcophagus in a massive statue, the Dominican Republic also houses the remains in a towering monument. There has been an incident where the Spanish produced DNA evidence to confirm that their remains are the actual remains of Columbus[8]. However, the Dominicans refused to acknowledge these claims. Therefore, it remains unclear since no one can tell if the remains are in both places or either of the two.

Nina and Pinta are names that are closely associated with the History of Columbus. The term originates from the three sail ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, which he used when searching for better trade routes to India. The first place that these ships docked was in the present-day Bahamas. The area thus represented one of his key discoveries of new lands that he could report back to his homeland. Many questions remain about what happened to the ships that Columbus used to sail to the New World and back to Spain. So far, there is no conclusive evidence of their fate or location. However, there are some theories about what possibly happened. The Nina was one of Columbus’s two ships to return to Spain in 1492 before using it again in the second and third voyages in 1493 and 1498[9]. After that, Nina’s history became unclear, and people believe she caught fire before sinking in 1919. As for the Pinta, the most common theory is that it sank at its mooring.

Christopher Columbus was arrested and taken back to Spain in chains. It was 1498 May when Columbus visited the south American mainland and Trinidad via the Atlantic. This trip was made before he could return to his native settlement, where the colonialist had planted a rebellion against the Columbus brothers. It is important to note that the mismanagement by the Columbus brothers resulted in the loss of over 100,000 Taino who existed before the Columbus rule[10]. The Columbus brothers were famously known for making wrong and brutal decisions which largely contributed to further mismanagement. The rulers had forced the local populations to work extra harder in search of gold while the remaining served as forced labor in the plantations. The arrest and charges brought about the stripping of Columbus’s powers and noble titles. The events led to the aging Columbus becoming desperate enough to beg for the Spanish crown to grant him one more trip across the Atlantic, where he went to Panama. Unfortunately, nature did not favor two of his ships as they were crushed in the storm in addition to the hostile natives they found. The explorer later had no option but to return to Spain, where he passed away in 1506[11]. Columbus had such a tragic ending to his story because of his wastefulness, brutality, and greed for treasure, where he abused power for material gains. He was undoubtfully successful in most of his trips, encouraging him to further his search. However, he used local labor forcibly in his search and even carried some as an addition to his force to the next destination.

Christopher Columbus was not the actual name of the Spanish explorer. Although the name Columbus remains a crucial historical name, many details about him are still a mystery. Despite existing in the history book for a long time, very little is known about the person himself. Many historians agree that the individual was born in Genoa, Italy, while some believe he originated in Spain or Poland[12]. Due to his association with many of these nations, he has a name from each one of these nations. In Italy, he is known as Cristoforo Colombo. In Spain, they called him Cristóbal Colón. However, the individual’s close people and others who knew him better called him Xpoual de Colón, Christofferus de Colombo, and Christoual or Christovam.

[1] Federal Times Staff, 2022

[2] Bighorse, 2021

[3] Bighorse, 2021

[4] Caron, 2018.

[5] Caron, 2018).

[6] Bighorse, 2021

[7] Bighorse, 2021

[8] Bighorse, 2021

[9] Bighorse, 2021

[10] Bighorse, 2021

[11] Bighorse, 2021

[12] Caron, 2018).

Recap & Takeaways

1. The launched of the two ships-Nina, the Pinta.
2. Iconic discovery on October 12, 1492.
3. President F D. Roosevelt decided to make it official by declaring it a national celebration holiday.
4. Initially, Columbus Day was an Italian American holiday.
5. There has been growing opposition to the holiday because of the barbaric nature settlers like Columbus treated natives.
6. Christopher Columbus was not the actual name of the Spanish explorer.
7. Many historians agree that the individual was born in Genoa, Italy, while some believe he originated in Spain or Poland
8. Christopher Columbus was arrested and taken back to Spain in chains.
9. The Columbus brothers were famously known for making wrong and brutal decisions
10. Christopher Columbus later died in Spain in 1506, but his remains were returned to Hispaniola instead of being buried in Spain.
11. Currently, many places claim to have the remains of Christopher Columbus.