Columbus Day commemorates the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus, who first landed in the New World on October 12, 1492. Throughout the nineteenth century, Italian-Americans organized celebrations in various cities to honor Columbus, and in 1905, Colorado became the first state to observe Columbus Day. In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 to be officially celebrated as Columbus Day. In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared it a federal public holiday, celebrated on the second Monday in October.

• The Explorations of Christopher Columbus — A collection from the Mariner’s Museum, Newport News, Virginia
• Columbus Day — “Columbus, his journeys and legacy, and other great explorers and explorations”
• 1492: An Ongoing Voyage — Visit the Library of Congress exhibit
• Christopher Columbus — An Italian-American perspective on Columbus Day, from the Order Sons of Italy in America
• Columbus Day Theme Unit — Lesson plans, activity sheets and more resources for teachers from the EdHelper website
• Columbus Day — Lesson Plans, Thematic Units, Printables, Worksheets, and More from A to Z Teacher Stuff
• Columbus Day Booklist for Kids — Use this list to check the library catalog