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This undated portrait attributed to Rodolfo Ghirlandaia shows Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. The image and story of the 15th Century navigator who began European incursions into the Americas, have changed in the U.S. over decades. Following his three voyages, Columbus fell into obscurity for centuries until his adventures were revitalized in the 1800s. Columbus became a symbol for Italian and Irish immigrants in the U.S. who used his story to fight anti-Catholic bigotry and discrimination. They created annual Columbus Day to honor the explorer but also pay homage to Italian American heritage. By 1992, the 500th anniversary of Columbus' landing in the Americas, a new generation of Native American activists began protesting the navigator and blaming him for launching centuries of indigenous genocide. (AP Photo)

This undated portrait attributed to Rodolfo Ghirlandaia shows Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. The image and story of the 15th Century navigator who began European incursions into the Americas, have changed in the U.S. over decades. Following his three voyages, Columbus fell into obscurity for centuries until his adventures were revitalized in the 1800s. Columbus became a symbol for Italian and Irish immigrants in the U.S. who used his story to fight anti-Catholic bigotry and discrimination. They created annual Columbus Day to honor the explorer but also pay homage to Italian American heritage. By 1992, the 500th anniversary of Columbus' landing in the Americas, a new generation of Native American activists began protesting the navigator and blaming him for launching centuries of indigenous genocide. (AP Photo)

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