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Five Famous Italian Americans Who Can Replace Christopher Columbus this Columbus Day Weekend
An annual list we can all agree on
This Monday we will celebrate Columbus Day in the United States, a holiday marking the only day when Italian Americans can celebrate one of their countrymen and, by extension, themselves. I’m posting this today because by Tuesday no one will care for another 365 days. I’m also offering some famous Italian Americans who could take Chris’s place because we live in strange times; I’ve done this before, and it’s going to be an annual thing until sanity returns.
These alternative Columbuses (Columbi?) have become necessary because a vast majority of people seem to think it makes complete sense to judge a 15th century figure by 21st century values. Thus, there is an ongoing movement dedicated to removing from both our history and our holiday calendars the famed explorer who ended up in North America rather than India because (like men everywhere in every age) he refused to ask for directions. Apparently, revising the history of our recent elections just isn’t enough for some.
I’m not going to get into a debate about the wisdom or folly of the pro-Columbus vs. anti-Columbus debate; there are valid points on both sides and it’s not like I have a poster of the guy on my wall. The only…
