Columbus Myth vs History

Columbus never set foot on North American soil; $4$ voyages brought him to the Caribbean and parts of Central and South America, not the present-day United States. The United States has more than $50$ cities, towns, and counties bearing his name.
He sought a shortcut to India and believed the world was round; however, educated people already knew the Earth is round; Columbus actually claimed the world was smaller than predicted and was wrong about its size.

Cartoons and some textbooks told Columbus proved the world is round; in fact, the Earth was known to be round, and Columbus mis-estimated its size.
The portrayal of Columbus's encounters with Indigenous peoples as peaceful ignores mass deaths and brutality; accounts describe violent takeovers.

A friar who lived on the islands described how Columbus and his men forced their way into settlements, slaughtering small children, old men, and pregnant women.

The idealized Columbus is as old as the United States; during the War of Independence, Columbus became a rebellious non-British symbol.
After independence, streets and cities were named after him; the 1828 biography by Washington Irving glorified him, omitting brutality.

In the $1890s$ , Italian immigration and Catholic identity helped Columbus become an icon for Italian Americans.
On the $1892$ $400$ th anniversary, Columbus Day was introduced in schools; the following year, the World Expo in Chicago branded him a national hero, aided by the Knights of Columbus.
By $1937$ , the Knights of Columbus influenced to have Columbus Day declared a federal holiday by President Roosevelt.

In the $1960s$ , civil rights movement brought Native rights into the conversation; historians reexamined Columbus, adding missing historical facts.
As revelations became mainstream, some rejected Columbus Day and its legacy; many cities now opt out or celebrate Indigenous peoples instead.
A poll (commissioned by the Knights of Columbus) found that more than $50%$ of Americans think Columbus Day is a good idea.

Myths confront brutal historical facts; the US will decide which myths to keep and which to discard.