Powered by OptIn Lightning! Happy Columbus Day! Enjoy the Holiday Season! On August 3, 1492, an Italian named Christopher Columbus, and ninety men set sail on the flagship "Santa Maria". Two other ships, the "Nina" and the "Pinta", came with him. They sailed west. Three long months went by. His men became tired and sick, and threatened to turn the ships back. Columbus encouraged them. Certain that they would find the spice trail to the East. On October 11th, ten o'clock at night, Columbus saw a light. The "Pinta" kept sailing, and reported that the light was, in fact, land. The next morning at dawn they landed. Although it is generally accepted that Christopher Columbus was the first European to have discovered the New Work of the Americas, there is still some controversy over this claim. Some researches and proponents of other explorers attribute the first sightings to the early Scandinavian Vikings of the voyages of Irish Missionaries which predate the Columbus visit in 1492. The controversy may never be fully resolved to everyone's satisfaction, but 1992 marked the 500th anniversary of the Columbus discovery. Few celebrations marked the discovery until hundreds of years later. The continent was not even named after Columbus, but an Italian explorer named America Vespucci. In 1792, a ceremony was held in New York honor-ing Columbus, and a monument was dedicated to him. Soon after that, the city of Washington was officially named the District of Columbia and became the capital of the United States. In 1892, a statue of Columbus was raised at the beginning of Columbus Avenue in New York City. At the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago that year, replicas of Columbus's three ships were displayed. This Free Columbus Day Card is being Distributed Courtesy of your MONEY! CD-ROM Dealer in Spirit of the Holidays at YOUR Service. Find Out More! While you're at it, why not stock up on $5,000 in Freebies! Please Remember.. Do Not Drink and Drive! Practice Compassion toward all! Enjoy Yourself! Give Your Relatives at Least One Online Columbus Day Card ;-)