Whether or not you currently love the man in the big white house, I think we can all agree that a long weekend is not a controversial event. This workless Monday has the grand title of “President’s Day” and for many of us that simply translates to “no school or work.” While I relished in my ability to sleep in and put off homework for one more day, I found myself wondering why it is that this day is being celebrated. If you’re at all curious, or just want to put off your homework a little longer: below are some fast facts about this vague, yet appreciated, holiday.
- After George Washington’s death in 1799, February 22nd became a holiday know as “Washington’s Birthday” to celebrate the day the first president was born.
- George Washington was the first individual to have a nationally recognized holiday named solely after him. The second was MLK Jr. when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was made law in 1983.
- Following the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act, the celebration was moved to the third Monday in February to give people more three-day weekend (thank you, US government)
- There are four past president’s born in February: George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan.
- The day is now commonly known as “President’s Day” and used to celebrate all the men who have served as President of the US; however, it is still referred to as “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government.