Tomorrow is "Presidents Day" in the United States, so I got online to look up some of its history. According to Patriotism.org "The original version of the holiday was in commemoration of George Washington's birthday in 1796." "Washington's Birthday was originally implemented by the federal government in 1880 in the District of Columbia and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices." (Wikipedia). "In 1968, legislation was enacted that changed Washington's Birthday observation to the third Monday in February each year whether or not it fell on the 22nd. This act took effect in 1971."
Here are a few bits of trivia:
"George Washington, according to the calendar that has been used since at least the mid-18th century, was born on February 22, 1732. According to the old style calendar in use in 1732, he was born on February 11."
Abraham Lincoln's birthday was never a federal holiday like Washington's, but it did become a legal holiday in several states.
"The holiday in February is still officially known as Washington's Birthday (at least according to the Office of Personnel Management); it has become popularly (and, perhaps in some cases at the state level, legally) known as 'Presidents Day'."
Situated closely to the time of the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln was the inaguration of Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States of America, which happened on this day, February 18th, in 1861.
Happy holidays to some of you "lucky ones" who'll be home taking it easy tomorrow! ;-)
This post refers to Presidents Day as known in the United States. Several other countries also observe a "Presidents Day."
1 comment:
I still like the sound of Washington's birthday versus President's Day. But it's not like it's a huge deal either way.
Post a Comment