Today is when many celebrate Columbus Day. Originally October 12, it has come to be observed on the second Monday of October. In some places. Observance varies widely, even within the United States. Hawaii calls it Discovery Day, recognizing that they owe their roots more to Polynesians than to Europeans. South Dakota celebrates Native American Day, and a number of localities in the U.S. have proclaimed it Indigenous People’s Day.

In Latin America, it’s principally called “Día de la Raza” (Day of the Race) celebrating the influence of Spanish culture on the region. In Spain it’s been celebrated as Día de la Hispanidad (Hispanic Day), although the official name now is Fiesta Nacional (National Holiday).

It’s a controversial day, largely due to changing views toward colonialism. Whereas the traditional European view that their colonizing “civilized” the world has long held sway, there has been a growing awareness that colonization was of much more value to the Europeans than to their colonial subjects.

As many science fiction movies have shown, it’s a complicated thing to try and go back and evaluate what might have happened had history been different. But a lot of people wonder what the world would look like today had Columbus been content to sail east to get to India.