103 STAT. 3124 PROCLAMATION 6041—OCT. 6, 1989 reminded of the many contributions that men and women of Itahan and Spanish descent have made and continue to make to our Nation. In tribute to Christopher Columbus, the Congress of the United States, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934 (48 Stat. 657), as modified by the Act of June 28, 1968 (82 Stat. 250), has requested the President to pro- claim the second Monday in October of each year as "Columbus Day." NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 1989, as Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with ap- propriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of Christopher Columbus. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two h\m- dred and fourteenth. .... GEORGE BUSH Proclamation 6041 of October 6, 1989 Leif Erikson Day, 1989. By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Each year, we Americans pause on Leif Erikson Day to commemorate the life and legacy of this courageous Norse missionary and explorer. In remembering the young Viking who travelled to North America nearly a millennium ago, we also celebrate our Nation's Nordic herit- age. Son of "Erik the Red," who led the first group of Europeans to colonize Greenland, Leif Erikson returned to his native Norway in the year 1000. A year after his conversion to Christianity there, Erikson was commis- sioned by King Olaf Tryggvason (Olaf I) to return to Greenland as a missionary. During his lengthy travels, the young navigator visited new, imknown lands. Calling the places he discovered Helluland, Markland, and Vinland, Erikson described their pristine beauty in his joimial. Centuries later, other European explorers, inspired by Erikson's ac- count, decided to pursue his exciting discovery and journeyed to these shores. Although American history is filled with testaments to the faith and courage of many a missionary and explorer, Leif Erikson has remained a beloved symbol of valor. Displaying the same vision and daring em- bodied by "Leif the Lucky," generations of Scandinavian immigrants have since followed his path to North America. Leif Erikson Day pro- vides an opportunity to pay tribute to those industrious and determined Nordic peoples who have settled in the United States, and to honor them for their many contributions to our Nation. On this special occa- sion, we also celebrate the close relations between the people of the United States and our friends in all the Nordic countries.
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