Presidents' Day, observed on the third Monday of February, honors Lincoln, Washington and all other past presidents of the United States of America. That means when you get elected, there's automatically a holiday honoring you - no matter how good (or not so good) you are at the job. In 2021, Presidents Day falls on February 21st.
Presidents Day: The Origin
Until 1971, both February 12th and February 22nd were observed as federal holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln, who was born February 12th, and George Washington, born February 22nd. In 1971, President Richard Nixon decided one celebration would be enough and changed it so that both were celebrated on one federal holiday called Presidents Day.
This kinda sucks because it means only one day off school instead of two, but makes a lot of sense - celebrate two great Presidents in American history with one holiday.
President’s Day is a day to reflect on the great leaders of The United States
Did You Know?
- Looking at the US $1 bill you might think George Washington wore a wig, but he didn't. Still, he was a bit of a slave to fashion - he did put powder in his hair to make it white.
- Before becoming president, Lincoln was the postmaster of New Salem, Illinois and usually carried letters in his hat.
- Lincoln received more than 10,000 death threats during his time as president. Lincoln was assassinated while hanging out with the public at the Ford Theatre on April 14, 1865.
Happy Presidents Day!
To check out what Canadians celebrate on this day, click here!
Related Stories
