So, Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, but how old is Columbus Day? Office Ink rounds up some Columbus Day trivia.

• New York City held the first America’s first Columbus Day celebration in 1792 to celebrate the 300th anniversary.
• One hundred years later, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to mark the anniversary of Columbus’ voyage with patriotic festivities. “On that day let the people, so far as possible, cease from toil and devote themselves to such exercises as may best express honor to the discoverer and their appreciation of the great achievements of the four completed centuries of American life.”
• President Franklin Roosevelt finally made Columbus Day an official federal holiday in 1937.
• Columbus day was originally observed every October 12, but was fixed to the second Monday of October in 1971.
• For many, the holiday is a way of both honoring Columbus’ achievements and celebrating Italian-American heritage. That’s my excuse for having a big plate of spaghetti tonight.

You can find out more about Columbus, and pick up all sorts of historical trivia at history.com. Whether you’re at work or enjoying a day off, I hope you’re having a great Columbus Day!