October 12: Today in History

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Here are some interesting facts to note about this day in history. October 12th, at one time celebrated around the world as Columbus day, the history books recognize it as the day a new world was discovered in 1492.

The place of his landfall was in our country: San Salvador. Columbus and crew are believed to have made landfall via the Pinta, one of three ships sailing on the historic voyage.

Columbus led four expeditions to the new world, reaching various Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico and South & Central America.

His entry into the new world brought with it centuries of brutal colonization the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the deaths of millions of Native Americans from murder and disease.

Since the 90’s dozens of U.S. Cities and states have replaced Columbus day with indigenous people’s day.

The Bahamas joined that growing list of countries distancing itself from the Columbus day celebrations and adopting National Heroes day instead.

Also on this day 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington, was changed from the executive mansion to the White House by President Theodore roosevelt.

In 2007 former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the U.N. panel on climate change won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to galvanize the world’s action against global warming.

Then in 2017 the United States left the United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO. Then, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova
expressed her deep regret over the decision.