Today, Oct. 12, is Columbus Day — and only Columbus Day.

It is a holiday set aside to honor the accomplishments and legacy of Christopher Columbus, the 15th-century Italian explorer from the Republic of Genoa. His 1492 expedition to the Western Hemisphere led to the discovery of previously unknown landmasses. When Columbus landed on San Salvador (an island in what is now the Bahamas), he began the Age of Exploration and altered the course of world history.

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