More than 500 years ago, in search for new trade routes, Christopher Columbus packed away wine and water in barrels of oak and led a voyage west. After two months of incessant “Are we there yet” complaints from his crew, he threatened to pull the ship over and scold his crewmates, and upon doing so landed in what is known today as the Bahamas. It is this monumental occasion that we use as an excuse to stay home from work on the second Monday of every October (if lucky enough) and sit around drinking beer (what better way to celebrate the origins of America?).

Of course it is generally agreed upon that Viking Leif Erikson was the first European to land in America a few hundred years prior. Erikson, taking a break from the usual daily habits of a Viking of doing battle (wearing awesome helmets, and washing down a meal of rocks with flagons of ale) got bored and decided to sail west past Greenland in search of new lands. This occasion is celebrated on “Leif Erikson Day” every October 9th. This date is of no historical significance besides this year it landed on a Saturday making it easier to imbibe alcoholic beverages without missing work (any reason to party, right?).

Christopher Columbus was most certainly….probably…maybe a man that appreciated fine wines, and as such made sure his ship was packed with plenty of it for the voyage. The red wine stowed away on his vessels was higher in alcohol content as a preservation method. Little is known about Erikson’s alcohol reserves but it was most likely composed of strong Ale’s and Mead worthy of being put down by Vikings. 

Ignoring questions of who was here first, who would have won in a fight (probably Leif Erikson), or how Native Americans feel about the holiday, Columbus Day commemorates the deepest of American roots. It celebrates the events that took place more than 500 years ago that would culminate into what we know and love as current day America. So raise your flagons, steins, glasses, mugs, or skulls (for our Norse friends) to the pioneers that had a part in shaping America.

Interesting facts:

-The other famous Chris Columbus (and arguably as influential), co-wrote The Goonies, helped create the characters for the Gremlins movies, and directed the first two Harry Potter movies.

-Christopher Columbus is most likely the English translation of Cristoforo Colombo.

-Some of the crew on the original journey was scared of falling off the Earth, though Columbus was not, because he was probably drunk.

-Though many people agree that Leif Erikson led the first European voyage to what we know now as America, lack of further exploration kept the rest of Europe completely in the dark of its discovery

-Vikings didn’t actually drink out of the skulls of enemies; this is a result of a mistranslation, unfortunately. 

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