Dr.Traveler
Mathematician
- Aug 31, 2009
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They took Columbus Day as a day off away from our school district and added it to Thanksgiving so the kidlets have an entire week off for gobbling and stuffing. They also took away the Friday before Memorial Day and tacked it onto President's Day, so they have a four day weekend . . . in the middle of freaking winter. Blarg.
Yeah, that's part of why it's gone away for the most part. Too many other holidays, too many other days off from school. Eventually something gets lost.
I'm not terribly sad to see Columbus day go. A lot of the bloom came off the rose when it was learned that Columbus wasn't the first European to get here. The Vikings beat him by a good long walk. Heck, we're starting to find evidence the Chinese beat him here.
Add to that if you actually read up on Columbus, you'll learn he's lucky he didn't just die on the trip. The expedition was poorly managed, Columbus was using maps by Ptolemy that were widely discredited and known for centuries to be completely off on their distances by thousands of miles. It was a complete cluster**** of a trip (I don't use that word lightly). The only thing Columbus had going for him was the idea he got here first, and once the Viking's got that honor....