Whether adored or hated, Columbus gets his day.

Brave explorer or slave trader who sparked centuries of genocide? 
Was he both?
Should he be revered or vilified?
Just who was Christopher Columbus?
Whatever your position, there's a Mount Rushmore of significant dates in American history, and the one associated with him ranks among them.  There's 1776, 1865, 1941 and 1492.
Oct. 12, 1492, is chisled in our memory.  Five hundred twenty-three years ago Monday, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus landed in what he believed to be the "New World."  Did he discover America?  Not exactly, unless one includes the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola or Central America among what became the U.S. decades later. 
Was he a brutal slave trader who ushered in more than 400 years of international genocide?  Some historians believe that to be true without question.
Still, Columbus is hailed as a hero by many, particularly among those of Italian descent.  His explorations led directly to the opening of the Western hemisphere to European colonization, large-scale exchanges of plants, animals, cultures and ideas between the two worlds.  In my hometown, which has a high Italian-American population, his feats of exploration are recognized during a ceremony and the placing of a wreath at his statue on Main Street every Oct. 12.  When I was a kid, a Columbus Day parade was held every October and included replicas of the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, the sailing ships he directed across the sea on his initial voyage.  Columbus was royalty bordering on deity.
Yes, 1492; everyone knows the date.  But beyond that, what do you know about Columbus?  Let's find out.

1. Where was Columbus born?
a) Italy
b) Spain
c) Portugal
d) Jamison
2. Who funded Columbus's initial voyage?
a) Banco di Roma
b) King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain
c) Italian Philanthropist Pietro Scarolle
d) Neighbors held a beef and beer
3. In which ship did Columbus sail on his initial voyage?
a) Nina
b) Pinta
c) Santa Maria
d) Each of them
4. What did Columbus hope to accomplish on his voyage?
a) Reach India and Southeast Asia to trade for silk and spices
b) Explore the Bahamas to establish a settlement there
c) Find a route to the Pacific Ocean
d) Test a new seasickness drug
5. Where did Columbus think he landed upon reaching the "New World"?
a) China
b) India
c) Barbados
d) New Zealand
6. How long did it take Columbus to reach the "New World"?
a) Three weeks
b) Four weeks
c) Five weeks
d) About seven weeks
7. How old was Columbus when he landed in the Bahamas?
a) 37
b) 39
c) 41
d) 42
8. How many voyages did Columbus make?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 6
9. Ten years after his first voyage, why was Columbus arrested and brought back to Europe in chains?
a) For bringing new diseases back to Europe
b) For enslaving the island natives
c) For mismanging funds he received for his voyages
d) All of the above
10. Who wrote, "In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue"?
a) Winifred Sackville Stoner Jr.
b) Leonard Pinth Garnell
c) Andrew Bett
d) James Taylor
11. How many ships did Columbus take on his second voyage?
a) 5
b) 11
c) 14
d) 17
12. When was Columbus Day declared a national holiday in the U.S.?
a) 1909
b) 1927
c) 1931
d) 1937
13. How many American cities are named after Columbus?
a) 5
b) 6
c) 7
d) 10



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Answers : 1-a  ; 2-b  ; 3-c  ; 4-a  ; 5-a  ; 6-c  ; 7-c  ; 8-c  ; 9-d  ; 10-a  ; 11-d  ; 12-d  ; 13-a