National Hispanic Heritage Month (Spanish: Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana) is a period from 15 September to 15 October in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. wikipedia.org

• Dates:  September 15 to October 15

• Significance:  September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the commemoration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Hispanic countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, who all declared independence in 1821.

• How did it get started?:  Hispanic Heritage Month began as Hispanic Heritage Week, established by legislation sponsored by Rep. Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. It was expanded to a month by a law signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.