Christopher Columbus

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Plot Twist: Columbus May Have Been a Spanish Jew

Some caution, however, that speculation after DNA tests of explorer's remains may be misleading

(Newser) - After it was recently confirmed that Christopher Columbus' remains were indeed housed in Spain's Seville Cathedral, the forensic medical expert from the University of Granada who tested those remains said he'd also soon reveal where Columbus originally hailed from, in a TV documentary set to air over the...

Scientists: Yep, That's Christopher Columbus' Remains
Scientists: Yep, That's
Christopher Columbus' Remains
in case you missed it
Oct 13, 2024 11:05 AM CDT

Scientists: Yep, That's Christopher Columbus' Remains

DNA confirms remains in Spain's Seville Cathedral belong to the explorer

(Newser) - We know where he went and now we know where he ended up. The final resting place of Christopher Columbus, the 15th-century explorer, has been confirmed more than five centuries after his death, according to Spanish experts. Spain's Seville Cathedral has long claimed to hold the remains of Columbus,...

Columbus Day Sprang From Violence
History of Columbus Day
Is a Violent One
the rundown
Oct 11, 2021 9:45 AM CDT

History of Columbus Day Is a Violent One

President Harrison acted after a mob killed Italian immigrants in New Orleans

(Newser) - Monday is Columbus Day, though the term "politically fraught" is a common one used these days to describe the federal holiday. A look at its history, as well as views from supporters and critics:
  • Going away? Many states and municipalities have either ditched Columbus Day and replaced it with
...

Judge: It's Time to Take Statue Out of the Box

Controversial Columbus statue has been hidden behind plywood since June 2020

(Newser) - The Philadelphia city government is fine with leaving Christopher Columbus right where he is, which is in a box in Marconi Plaza. A judge issued an order Friday that the box around the controversial statue be removed. Judge Paula Patrick said that a clear structure should be put around the...

Family Classic Has R-Rated Version

There's a dirtier Mrs. Doubtfire

(Newser) - There's a dirtier version of Mrs. Doubtfire. Per Entertainment Weekly , the 1993 PG-13 classic got an R-rated cut thanks to the antics of beloved late actor and comedian Robin Williams. Director Chris Columbus told EW that he had a deal with Williams that for every scripted take they did,...

Protesters in Mexico: 'We Were Not Discovered'

Demonstrators in several nations mark Columbus Day in the streets

(Newser) - Mexicans have never had much affection for Cristopher Columbus, and officials were coy about why his statue was removed from the capital's main boulevard before Monday's observances of Columbus Day, which saw protests in several Latin American nations. Unlike in other cities where monuments to the 15th-century explorer...

Protest in Chicago Park Leaves 18 Cops Injured

Demonstrators tried to yank down statue of Christopher Columbus in Grant Park

(Newser) - At least 18 police officers in Chicago were hurt Friday during a clash with 1,000 or so protesters who converged upon a park and tried to yank down a statue of Christopher Columbus. The officers had been at an earlier rally in support of Black and Indigenous people "...

Baltimore Protesters Toss Columbus Statue in Harbor

'We’ve seen people who have taken to the streets, we have supported them,' says mayor's rep

(Newser) - Baltimore protesters pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbor on Saturday night. Demonstrators used ropes to topple the monument near the Little Italy neighborhood, reports the AP . Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have...

Christopher Columbus Statue Meets Grisly Fate

Another is thrown in a Virginia lake

(Newser) - It started with a chant: "Take it down." Then, a short time later Tuesday evening, protesters at Byrd Park in Richmond, Va., followed through, returning to the spot where an 8-foot-tall Christopher Columbus statue has stood since 1927 and yanking it down with ropes, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports....

Missing for 30-Plus Years, $1.3M Columbus Letter Found

Copy of note sent to Spain's King Ferdinand was stolen from Italy in the '80s

(Newser) - In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue; in 1493, he wrote a letter about his trip across the sea to Spain's King Ferdinand, and two editions of it were printed to spread across Europe. Only about 30 copies of the first edition of the Plannck I letter still exist,...

Vandals Cover Columbus in Red
Vandals Cover
Columbus in Red 
Oct 14, 2019 4:30 PM CDT

Vandals Cover Columbus in Red

San Francisco's statue is among those left with messages decrying genocide

(Newser) - Crews were cleaning statues of Christopher Columbus in several cities Monday after vandals splashed red paint on the monuments and added messages including "Stop celebrating genocide." Statues in Providence, Rhode Island; San Francisco; and Chula Vista, California, were vandalized, per the AP . The San Francisco statue, which is...

'Survivor' Replica of Columbus Ship Takes 2nd Watery Plunge

La Niña sinks again in Corpus Christi, Texas, but caretakers are hopeful she can be brought back

(Newser) - "She sank fast, but she is a survivor." So says Kim Mrazek, president of the group that maintains the La Niña, a replica of Christopher Columbus' ship that was made in Spain but has called Corpus Christi, Texas, home since 1992, per CNN . The vessel took on...

Notre Dame Will Cover Controversial Columbus Murals

Murals depict Native Americans in submissive poses

(Newser) - The University of Notre Dame will cover murals in a campus building that depict Christopher Columbus in America, the school's president said, following criticism that the images depict Native Americans in stereotypical submissive poses before white European explorers. The 12 murals created in the 1880s by Luis Gregori were...

US City That Just Canceled Columbus Day Is a Surprising One

Columbus, Ohio, will be celebrating veterans instead

(Newser) - The largest city named for Christopher Columbus has called off its observance of the divisive holiday honoring the explorer, making a savvy move to tie the switch to a politically safe demographic: veterans. Per the AP , Ohio's capital city will be open for business Monday, after observing Columbus Day...

Activists Redecorate Columbus Statue

Barcelona statue gets a life jacket protesting plight of migrants, as ship carrying 60 more docks

(Newser) - Activists in Barcelona have dressed a statue of 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus in an orange life-vest to draw attention to the loss of migrant and refugee lives in the Mediterranean Sea, reports the AP . Two volunteer firefighters on Wednesday climbed the 197-foot monument towering above the northeastern Spanish city and...

Trump's Columbus Day Proclamation Ignores Native Americans

Instead he celebrates Columbus as a great explorer and 'man of faith'

(Newser) - Donald Trump's first presidential proclamation of Columbus Day was long on praise for the famed explorer but failed to mention the Native Americans who were here when he arrived. Dated Friday, the proclamation honored Christopher Columbus as a "skilled navigator and man of faith, whose courageous feat brought...

LA Scraps Columbus Day, Will Honor Someone Else

Indigenous Peoples Day will now occur on 2nd Monday of October

(Newser) - The Los Angeles City Council has voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as an official holiday. Council members voted 14-1 on Wednesday to make the second Monday in October a day to commemorate indigenous, aboriginal, and native people. It will be a paid holiday for city employees....

In More Places, Christopher Columbus Who?

Movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day gaining steam

(Newser) - Why does the US have a national holiday commemorating a man many see as an immoral conqueror? That's a question they're asking all across the US, NPR reports, with places including, most recently, the city of Phoenix and the entire state of Vermont altering the holiday in order...

Barcelona Officials Want to Rip Down Columbus Statue

Barcelona council members say it glorifies colonialism, explorer's 'conquest of America'

(Newser) - Just a couple of years after the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor, a statue of Christopher Columbus was erected to grace Barcelona's skyline—and while the former represents freedom and friendship, local council members say the latter should be torn down for symbolizing the worst...

Stolen Columbus Letter Sat in Library of Congress

It's now been returned to Italy

(Newser) - In February 1493, Christopher Columbus described his historic journey of the previous year in a letter to the king and queen of Spain. Though the letter was reprinted and circulated throughout Europe, only about 80 copies remain—and now the US is sending one of them, a stolen one, back...

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