Leif Erikson Day: Difference between revisions
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'''Leif Erikson Day''' is an annual [[United States|American]] observance occurring on October 9. It honors [[Leif Ericson]] ([[Old Norse]]: ''Leifr Eiríksson'' or the [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]: "Leif Eriksen"), the [[Norsemen|Norse]] [[explorer]] who brought the first [[European ethnic groups|European]]s known to have set foot in [[North America]]. <ref>[http://www.gonorway.no/norway/articles/eriksson/41/index.html ''Leiv Erikson'' (Go Norway. 2007)]</ref> |
'''Leif Erikson Day''' is an annual [[United States|American]] observance occurring on October 9. It honors [[Leif Ericson]] ([[Old Norse]]: ''Leifr Eiríksson'' or the [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]: "Leif Eriksen"), the [[Norsemen|Norse]] [[explorer]] who brought the first [[European ethnic groups|European]]s known to have set foot in [[North America]]. <ref>[http://www.gonorway.no/norway/articles/eriksson/41/index.html ''Leiv Erikson'' (Go Norway. 2007)]</ref> |
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==History== |
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''America Not Discovered by Columbus'' by [[Rasmus B. Anderson]] was published in 1874. This book helped popularize the now familiar idea that [[Vikings]] were the [[Norse colonization of the Americas|first Europeans in the New World]]. During his appearance at the [[Norse-American Centennial]] in 1925, President [[Calvin Coolidge]] gave recognition to Leif Erikson as the Discoverer of America due to research by Norwegian-American scholars such as [[Knut Gjerset]] and [[Ludvig Hektoen]].<ref> [http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume33/vol33_01.htm ''Becoming American, Becoming Suburban: Norwegians in the 1920s'' (Knut Gjerset and Ludvig Hektoen. Norwegian-American Historical Association.Volume 33: Page 3)]</ref> In 1930, [[Wisconsin]] became the first state to officially adopt Leif Erikson Day as a state holiday, thanks in large part to efforts by Rasmus Anderson. A year later, the state of [[Minnesota]] followed suit. By 1956, Leif Erikson Day had been made an official observance in seven states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, and California) and one Canadian province (Saskatchewan). <ref>[http://www.nb.no/leiveriksson/leiv_carl.html ''My Minneapolis'' (Carl Gustav Otto Hansen. Minneapolis,MN: 1956)]</ref> |
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In 1963, the [[U.S. Representative]] from [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]], [[John Blatnik]], introduced a bill to observe Leif Erikson Day nationwide. The following year Congress adopted this unanimously. In 1964, the [[United States Congress]] authorized and requested the [[President of the United States|President]] to create the observance through an annual [[List of observances in the United States by presidential proclamation|proclamation]]. [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] and each President since have done so. Presidents have used the proclamation to praise the contributions of Americans of Nordic descent generally and the spirit of discovery. In addition to the federal observance, some [[U.S. state|state]]s officially commemorate Leif Erikson Day, particularly in the [[Upper Midwest]], where large numbers of people from the [[Nordic countries]] settled. |
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==Date== |
==Date== |
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Revision as of 18:46, 14 February 2011
| Leif Erikson Day | |
|---|---|
 U.S. stamp issued on Leif Erikson Day, 1968 | |
| Observed by | United States |
| Type | Cultural |
| Significance | Recognize contributions of Americans of Nordic descent |
| Date | October 9 |
Leif Erikson Day is an annual American observance occurring on October 9. It honors Leif Ericson (Old Norse: Leifr Eiríksson or the Norwegian: "Leif Eriksen"), the Norse explorer who brought the first Europeans known to have set foot in North America. [1]
Date
October 9th is not associated with any particular event in Leif Erikson's life. The date was chosen because the ship Restauration coming from Stavanger, Norway, arrived in New York Harbor on October 9, 1825 at the start of the first organized immigration from Norway to the United States.[2][3]
References
Further reading
- Anderson, Rasmus Bjorn (1874). America Not Discovered by Columbus: an historical sketch of the discovery of America by the Norsemen in the Tenth Century. Chicago: S.C. Griggs.
External links
- Leif Erikson Day - October 9th
- Leif Ericson Viking Ship, Inc.
- Brief History of Leif Erikson's Life & Voyages
Sample proclamations: