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Happy Presidents Day!
February 20, 2023
An event every year that begins at 12:00 am on day third of February, repeating indefinitely
Happy Presidents Day!
Presidents Day, as we now call it, began as an officially recognized celebration of George Washington’s birthday in 1885. During the 1960s, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which pushed several federal holiday observances to Mondays in order to allow for three-day weekends. This effectively moved Washington’s Birthday from the actual date of February 22 to the third Monday in February.
Did you know? After the passage of the Act, the new date’s proximity to Lincoln’s birthday soon encouraged advertisers to promote “Presidents Day” sales and offers for the extended weekend. Despite this change, the day, even now, is still officially recognized as “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government.
Though some lament the combination of Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays into one holiday, their close birthdates are appropriate in a way. While growing up, one of the first books Lincoln read was The Life of General George Washington, which instilled a lifelong appreciation for our first president. Both men are widely accepted as two of our most important presidents.
Presidents of the United States, A. Feusier, 1861
-Written by Anna Zemaitaitis, Communications and Design Officer
