Today is Columbus Day, which is a federal holiday in the United States. This holiday is observed on the second Monday of October each year to commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. While some states have chosen to mark the holiday as Indigenous Peoples Day to recognize the mistreatment of Indigenous people and honor their history, 16 states still exclusively call it Columbus Day. As a federal holiday, most government offices (including post offices) are closed, and banks follow the holiday calendar of the U.S. Federal Reserve, which means that most banks will be closed.