Christopher Columbus astronomy, and history. He formulated a plan to seek a western sea passage to the East Indies, hoping to profit from the lucrative spice trade. After years of lobbying, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain agreed to sponsor a journey west, in the name of the Crown of Castile. Columbus left Spain in August 1492 with three ships, and after a stopover in the Canary Islands made landfall in the Americas on 12 October (now celebrated as Columbus Day). His landing place was an island in the Bahamas, known by its native inhabitants as Guanahani; its exact location is uncertain. Columbus
Navy Day (Chile) Navy Day (Chile) Navy Day is a Chilean national holiday (Spanish: Día de las Glorias Navales, literally Day of Naval Glories) celebrated on May 21 each year. The day was selected to commemorate the Battle of Iquique, which occurred on Wednesday, May 21, 1879 during the War of the Pacific. The day is an official holiday and until 2016 was the traditional day for the Annual Statement of the President of the Republic of Chile (Spanish: ), also known as the Mensaje Presidencial or Discurso del 21 de mayo), until it was moved on June 1 in 2017 to avoid