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It can be fun to find new things, like finding a new place to eat or finding that model of Goulds Well Pump that’s perfect for your application. The last time I got excited about finding something was when I found an old pair of socks under my bed that had been lost for weeks. I can’t imagine how Christopher Columbus must have felt when he finally spotted land after sailing across the vast Atlantic in 1492.

Columbus Day commemorates the landing of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria in America all those years ago. Of course, Columbus originally thought he landed in Asia but after a quick check on Google Maps, discovered he was actually in the previously mostly unexplored by Europeans continent of America (we have to give some props to Leif Erikson). His voyages were sponsored by the Spanish crown and he originally made landfall in the Bahamas. Not much later he found Cuba and Hispaniola, which he thought to be China and Japan respectively.

Columbus Day fun fact: it’s a common misconception that most people back in 1492 thought the earth was flat. In reality, most Europeans knew the world was round, they were just not aware of the existence of the Pacific Ocean. It was thought that the Atlantic Ocean stretched in between Europe and Asia.

Columbus Day fun fact #2: it took Columbus three journeys back and forth until he realized he had “discovered” a new continent.

Brief history of Columbus Day in America

The first observance of Columbus Day occurred in 1792 as many cities across the nation celebrated the 300^th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage. However Columbus Day did not become a federal holiday until 1937. Certainly not a day without it’s controversies, many Americans now celebrate the second Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day. Although now a federal holiday, Columbus Day is still inconsistently celebrated across the United States. Some states observe the holiday and even give kids the day off of school while other states, such as Hawaii and South Dakota, just ignore the holiday all together.

Regardless, Columbus Day or whatever it’s referred to as, should be a day where ethnicity and cultures are honored and celebrated. This holiday is the perfect opportunity to come together and share what makes our cultures unique. Even though Columbus Day has certainly become one of the more peculiar dates on the calendar, many Americans, no matter where they or their ancestors were born or have emigrated from, typically celebrate Columbus Day with parades or street fairs. Columbus Day has also grown to be a day where Italian heritage in particular is celebrated since Columbus himself was Italian.

This day is also the perfect opportunity to visit PumpProducts.com and take a look at our wide inventory of pumps, parts, and accessories. If Columbus had seen our pumps and prices, he may have tried to discover America a couple years earlier.

Pump Products applications engineers are standing by to help you find the right pump, as well as to provide price quotes, availability and shipping information. Call our toll free number 1-800-429-0800.