Videos · October 12, 2026 · 41 seconds
Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day: One Monday, Two Holidays
The federal holiday began in 1892 as a gesture to Italian Americans after a New Orleans mob killed 11 Italian men. A century later, the 500th anniversary gave Native activists their alternative, and today the name on the calendar depends on where you live.
Read the full articleby Adam Canissario
Transcript
COLUMBUS DAY AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY: ONE MONDAY, TWO HOLIDAYS
[HOW IT BEGAN] A peace offering to Italy.
- In 1891, a mob in New Orleans killed 11 Italian men after a jury failed to convict Italian immigrants of murdering the city's police chief, and Italy broke off diplomatic relations with the United States.
- To repair relations and court Italian American voters, President Benjamin Harrison, pictured, proclaimed a national holiday for the 400th anniversary of Columbus's 1492 landing, and it became an annual observance in 1934.
[THE OTHER HOLIDAY] The 500th anniversary split it.
- As the 500th anniversary approached, Native American activists pushed for a day honoring Indigenous peoples instead, and Berkeley, California, held the first official Indigenous Peoples' Day on October 12, 1992.
- Columbus Day remains the federal holiday, while 17 states and Washington, D.C., now recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day, some alongside Columbus Day and some in its place.
Read the full article at noozify.com. Images: Images: Landing of Columbus, by John Vanderlyn, and Benjamin Harrison, by Eastman Johnson (both public domain); Seattle City Council's Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration (CC0); all via Wikimedia Commons. Music: an original score for Noozify.