Today is Columbus Day, a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere which celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. This day is celebrated annually and is a federal holiday observed on the 2nd Monday of October each year.
The celebration of Christopher Columbus’s voyage in the early United States is recorded from as early as 1792. Many Italian-Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage, and the first such celebration was held in New York City on October 12, 1866.
Actual observance varies in different parts of the United States, ranging from large-scale parades and events to complete non-observance. Most states celebrate Columbus Day as close state services, while others operate as normal.
In the mainland United States, Columbus Day is a legal holiday in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. In the United States Virgin Islands, the day is celebrated as both Columbus Day and “Puerto Rico Friendship Day.
Virginia also celebrates two legal holidays on the day, Columbus Day and Yorktown Victory Day, which honors the final victory at the Siege of Yorktown in the Revolutionary War.
So, today, celebrate this day by reading some history about Christopher Columbus to educate your children or grandchildren, of how he became so famous in the modern culture. Share on social media how you celebrated this day using #ColumbusDay.
1994 “Pulp Fiction” opens in theater
On October 14, 1994, the writer-director Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, a crime drama featuring multiple storylines and a large ensemble cast including John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and Harvey Keitel, opens in theaters.
Made for less than $10 million, Pulp Fiction earned more than $100 million at the box office and was also a huge critical hit, winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and earning seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Tarantino and Roger Avary shared the Oscar for Best Screenplay. Some critics have called Pulp Fiction, which spawned a slew of imitators, the most influential movie of its time. It contained such Tarantino trademarks as clever dialogue, graphic violence, and numerous pop-culture references. The film is also credited with reviving the movie career of John Travolta, who as the pony-tailed hitman Vincent Vega shares a memorable dance with his boss’ wife (Thurman) and famously discusses with his partner (Jackson) how in France a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese is called a “Royale with cheese.”
Quentin Tarantino was born on March 27, 1963, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He dropped out of high school, studied acting and worked at a video-rental store in Manhattan Beach, California, where he reportedly spent all day talking about movies. In the late 1980s, he appeared as an Elvis impersonator on an episode of the TV sitcom The Golden Girls.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pulp-fiction-debuts)
