Cool Columbus Day trivia

By June Wulff, Globe Staff

As we sail into the holiday weekend and thank Mr. Columbus for giving us Monday off, here’s a piece of Boston trivia to, well, float your boat.

It’s no coincidence that the main number for Symphony Hall is 617-266-1492.

In 1900, while the building was under construction, the Boston Pops took up residence at Mechanics Hall on Huntington Avenue (this building was leveled in the early 60s to build the Prudential Center). The orchestra set up a box office phone line, and according to the April 29 Globe: “reserved seats, either at tables or in the balcony, can be secured by telephoning to the special telephone, 1492 Back Bay.”

And from a BSO press release: “The reason, of course, was old-school marketing. Everyone remembers the year of Columbus’ transatlantic trek, so now Bostonians would know the direct line to the Boston Pops by default.

So not only did he help discover that the world isn’t flat, he helped us call the Pops. If that’s not worth a holiday, what is?