Welcome To India!

Today we celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of Cristoforo Columbo, somewhere in the bahamas, 516 years ago. It would be difficult to ascertain exactly how long it took the explorers to realize that they were half a planet away from India, but eventually they did figure out that they had chanced upon territory that was, until that time, largely unknown by European civilization of that time.

Columbus Day is celebrated, notwithstanding any lately conceived controversies, by Americans and people of other nations in this hemisphere every year. Here in Worcester, the day will be celebrated by a parade on Shrewsbury Street, starting at 12:30 today.

Although I would tend to favor honoring Guglielmo Marconi much more prominently for having invented the radio (just as an example of incontrovertable Italian greatness, AND without any slightest possible controversy attached to it), the celebration of Cristoforo Colombo's accidental discovery of the Americas is certainly no less an example of Italian greatness.

In fact, it is the Italians who have ruled more of Western Civilization for more years than any other particular country over the past two and a half millennia.

Celebrate the greatness of the Italian heritage today. Go to the parade!