Leif Erikson Day
Leif Erikson Day is an annual observance that occurs on October 9. It honors Leif Erikson, the Norse explorer who, in approximately 1000 AD, led the first Europeans believed to have set foot on the continent of North America.
Because the exact date of Leif's arrival to the Americas is unknown, the October 9 date was chosen in commemoration of the Restaurations arrival to New York Harbor, carrying some of the first Norwegian immigrants to the United States. This means the holiday occurs before Columbus Day.
History
The 1874 book America Not Discovered by Columbus by Norwegian-American Rasmus B. Anderson helped popularize the idea that Vikings were the first Europeans in the New World, an idea that was verified in 1960. In his speech during the Norse-American Centennial at the Minnesota State Fair in 1925, President Calvin Coolidge gave recognition to Leif Erikson as the discoverer of America. In 1929, Wisconsin became the first U.S. state to officially adopt Leif Erikson Day as a state holiday, thanks in large part to efforts by Rasmus Anderson. In 1931, Minnesota did also. As a result of efforts by the Leif Erikson Memorial Association of Saskatchewan, the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan proclaimed—through an order-in-council in 1936—that Leif Erikson Day would be observed on October 9. By 1956, Leif Erikson Day had been made an official observance in seven states and one Canadian province.The federal government of the United States first recognized Leif Erikson Day in 1935 as a result of House Joint Resolution 26, which had been introduced during the 74th Congress by Congressman Harry Sauthoff of Wisconsin. Originally, the resolution was written to request the US president annually proclaim October 9 as Leif Erikson Day, but it was amended in committee to be for 1935 only. After passing Congress, the legislation was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 19, 1935. As requested in the joint resolution, Roosevelt then issued presidential proclamation 2135 on September 11, 1935, designating October 9 of that year as Leif Erikson Day.
In the following decades, several unsuccessful attempts were made to pass legislation requesting Leif Erikson Day be proclaimed annually by the president. During the 88th Congress, various members of Congress introduced 12 different resolutions to that effect. One of these pieces of legislation, House Joint Resolution 393, was passed by Congress and then signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 2, 1964, becoming Public Law 88–566. As requested by the joint resolution, President Johnson also signed Presidential Proclamation 3610 proclaiming October 9 of that year as Leif Erikson Day. Under the 1964 joint resolution, each president in the years since has issued an annual proclamation, often using the opportunity also to praise the contributions of Americans of Nordic descent generally and the spirit of discovery.
Bills have been introduced in the Parliament of Canada to observe Leif Erikson Day throughout the country, but they have failed to pass.