February 18, 2019

Presidents' Day

The third Monday in February is Presidents' Day in the United States, but officially it is Washington's Birthday. So what is the confusion?

Many states celebrate the 16th president Abraham Lincoln's birthday concurrently with Washington's birthday. But although there have been several attempts to make the actual date, February 12th, a federally-designated separate holiday, those attempts have all failed.

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Today's Random Fact:

Presidents' Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called "Washington's Birthday" by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22--Washington's actual day of birth--the holiday became popularly known as Presidents' Day after it was moved as part of 1971's Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation's workers. Many states still choose to call their own celebration on this day "Presidents' Day."

Bonus Fact:

Even though many states celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday concurrently with Washington's birthday, it is not a federally designated holiday.

According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, "On September 19, 1794, George Washington became the only sitting U.S. President to personally lead troops in the field when he led the militia on a nearly month-long march west over the Allegheny Mountains to the town of Bedford."