Columbus Day, celebrated the second Monday in October, commemorates the anniversary of the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World. He discovered America on October 12, 1492 while making a voyage to search for spices in the Indies. The lookout on the "Pinta" saw land, San Salvador, or Watlings Island, in the West Indies, on the evening of October 11. Columbus landed the next day.

The first celebration of Columbus Day took place in New York City in 1792 when the Order of Columbia, known as the Tammany Society, held a dinner to honor Columbus. Then in 1892 the President issued a proclamation to observe the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the New World. In 1934 President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked that all 48 states observe October 12 as a national holiday, and in 1937 there was a proclamation designating Columbus Day.

Now Columbus Day, sometimes called Discovery or Landing Day, is observed in most states. Central and South America, Italy, and Spain are also involved in the celebration of this day.