The Real Origin Of Columbus Day: Eleven Italian Men Were Lynched In 1891. America's Answer Was A Holiday.

Columbus Day is this Monday, October 12. Most of us were taught one story in school. In this episode, XO, AZ, and CDA go through what the record actually shows -- and we fact-check both sides. Part 1: Where the holiday really came from. In 1891, a mob in New Orleans killed eleven Italian men. Italy pulled its ambassador. Within a year, a U.S. president declared a Columbus celebration. We trace how a political and immigrant-pride moment turned into a national holiday, and how the heroic Columbus story was built. Part 2: What Columbus actually did. His own journal. The 1495 slave raid. The Taino population collapse. His 1500 arrest. The myths people use against him that don't hold up -- like the hand-cutting story -- and the myths people use to defend him that don't hold up either. Part 3: Should we celebrate it? The best case for keeping Columbus Day, the best case for Indigenous Peoples' Day, and XO challenges both sides. Plus: what Black families can take from this, and what we teach our kids. No sugar coating. Every fact labeled confirmed, disputed, or myth.

Keywords: Columbus Day history, origin of Columbus Day, Columbus Day 2026, Indigenous Peoples' Day, Columbus Day fact check, Christopher Columbus truth, 1891 New Orleans lynching Italian Americans, Taino population Columbus, Columbus Bobadilla arrest, should we celebrate Columbus Day, Italian American heritage Columbus, Columbus myths, Past Present Pushback podcast