"A generation ago, Columbus Day (Oct. 10) was one of the major holidays of the year. It was the one day off from school in October. It was commem- orated in the way that we recognize our favorite holidays – with a sale.

Now it is certainly not a day off from school – and it is one of the many holidays where most of us are not sure what is open or closed – or what we are supposed to be celebrating.

When I was in elementary school, many years ago, we were enthralled by tales of the great explorer who “discovered” America. One of the ironies is that Columbus never touched North America and insisted to his dying day that he had not “discovered” anything – except, as he intended, a trade route to Asia.

He followed known trade winds, and even had maps and charts (obviously written by earlier navigators) that led him to the islands south of Florida, San Salvador and Hispaniola in particular."

Get the Story:
M. Morford: The real Columbus is more interesting than history's sanitized version (The Tacoma News Tribune 10/&