Christopher Columbus

Culture news

'America's original hero': Trump makes Columbus Day a national holiday

The US president has reinstated Columbus Day as a national holiday to honour the explorer's legacy but the move has also reignited the debate about the origins of Columbus and the importance of Indigenous Peoples' Day.

13/10/2025

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Replica of Columbus’ flagship docks in central London

Clad in timber and topped with soaring sails, a full-size replica of Christopher Columbus’ 15th-century flagship has moored at St Katharine Docks in London.

30/05/2025

Culture news

Christopher Columbus revealed to be Spanish and Jewish in new doc

The findings, revealed in a new documentary which aired this weekend on Spanish television, claim that the explorer hid his true identity to avoid religious persecution in Europe.

14/10/2024

Culture news

New study solves mystery of Christopher Columbus’ resting place

A new scientific study reveals the final resting place of the navigator and colonizer. The mystery of his origins and resting place will be detailed in a forthcoming documentary, 'Columbus’s DNA: The True Ancestry' - out this weekend.

11/10/2024

World News

Columbus Day: What is celebrated on 12 October in Latin America?

While Spain, Italy and the United States celebrate the day Christopher Columbus landed on the American continent in 1492, some Latin American countries have opted to venerate their indigenous cultures instead of their colonisers.

12/10/2022

Culture news

Mass grave in Peru uncovers remains of those who lived before Columbus

Chan Chan was a citadel of the Chimu culture which prospered between the years 900 and 1450 before falling to the Incas.

12/11/2021

Tech News

The Vikings reached America long before Christopher Colombus

Tree rings and a solar storm have helped researchers to identify the earliest verifiable date of European settlement in the Americas.

22/10/2021

Mexico

Statue swap in Mexico City as indigenous woman replaces Colombus

It comes as Mexico moves to erase symbols of the Spanish colonial era.

13/10/2021

Spain

Pedro Sánchez calls for unity as Spain celebrates National Day

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was booed by some members of the public as he arrived at the traditional military parade in Madrid.

12/10/2021

World

Italy? Spain? Poland? DNA tests probe Christopher Columbus' origins

The voyages of Christopher Columbus helped Europeans discover America, but the famous explorer’s own origins have long been a matter of controversy. But now scientists are hoping to shed light on them thanks to the latest advances in genetic technology.

26/05/2021

USA

Christopher Columbus statues removed in Chicago after protests

The statues of the Italian explorer were taken down in two Chicago parks after protesters trying to topple one of them clashed with police.

25/07/2020

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Christopher Columbus statue vandalised with red paint in San Francisco

Several Christopher Columbus statues were vandalised with red paint and messages against the 15th-century Italian navigator on Monday when the US holiday named after one of the first Europeans to reach the Americas was being celebrated.

15/10/2019

USA

Watch: San Francisco Columbus statue vandalised on namesake US holiday

The Italian navigator has become a polarising figure in the country and there have been calls for Columbus Day to be renamed "Indigenous Peoples Day".

15/10/2019

USA

Los Angeles topples its Christopher Columbus statue

A statue of Christopher Columbus has been taken down in Los Angeles over the explorer's connection to slavery and brutality.

12/11/2018

Spain

Spanish & American police recover stolen Columbus letter

Document one of 16 copies of a 1492 letter to the Spanish king & queen detailing his first impressions of the new world, and his voyage of discovery to the "Indies".

07/06/2018