Somehow, the 15th-century Italian explorer still got his own national holiday. But more cities and states are scrapping Columbus Day to honor the people who were here first — and who suffered greatly ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world.

Christopher Columbus was an important navigator whose background has long been scrutinized. The explorer, by his admission, claimed in a deed that he was born in the Italian port city of Genoa, ...