How October 9th became "Leif Erikson Day".
The October date of the NNL wreath laying is not associated with any particular event in Leif Erikson's life. We acknowledge this event on the weekend closest to October 9. October 9 is "Leif Erikson Day" as a result of a proclamation in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The ship Restauration had come from Stavanger, Norway, arrived in New York Harbor on October 9, 1825, at the start of the first organized immigration from Norway to the United States. In 1964, the United States Congress authorized and requested the President to create the observance through an annual proclamation. Lyndon B. Johnson did so, as has each President since.