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Happy Presidents Day

By: WOL Staff
| Published 02/16/2006

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A Day to Celebrate All US Presidents

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- On Monday, February 15, 2010 America will celebrate President's Day. Believe it or not, the holiday isn't just about retailer sales and a day off work. Here is a brief history and facts about President's Day.



Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as federal holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22). Now we observe a single holiday on the third Monday in February that is neither Lincoln's nor Washington's Birthday, but known simply as "Presidents' Day."

The original holiday was in honor of George Washington's birthday and was held in 1796, the last full year of his presidency. Washington was born on February 22, 1732.

By the 19th century Washington's Birthday had become a bona fide national holiday. Its traditions included balls, speeches and receptions and celebrations in taverns around the nation. Then along came Abraham Lincoln, another highly respected president born in February. The first observance of his birthday took place in 1865, (the year after his assassination) when the Senate and House of Representatives gathered for a memorial address. While Lincoln's Birthday did not become a federal holiday like Washington's, it was a legal holiday in some states.

In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal public holiday, Presidents' Day, to be observed on the 3rd Monday of February to honor all past U.S. Presidents. The proclamation was designed to simplify the yearly calendar of holidays and give federal employees some standard three-day weekends in the process.

Even though the holiday is still officially known as Washington's Birthday (at least according to the Office of Personnel Management), it has become known as "President's Day." Now the third Monday in February is a day for honoring Washington, Lincoln and all the other great Americans who have served as president.

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