400th Anniversary of Columbus Day Program

The 400th anniversary of Columbus Day was a nationwide celebration involving approximately 13,000,000 school children across the United States. This program documents the local ceremonies held by Worthington Public Schools.

At the national level, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation urging Americans to mark the day, October 21, 1892 as an official recognition of Columbus Day. In 1890, The Youth's Companion, one of the most popular and influential American periodicals of the 19th century, suggested that the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America ought to be celebrated everywhere in the nation. That year Congress created a commission to promote such a celebration. The Congressional commission asked that every community in America hold a celebration on "Columbus Day," October 21, 1892. Although Columbus Day is traditionally celebrated on October 12, the date of October 21 was chosen in 1892 in order to compensate for a change from the Julian calendar. It was believed that public schools would form the most fitting centers for a national chain of local celebrations. This nationwide demonstration was known as the "National Public School Celebration of Columbus Day".