What exactly is Presidents' Day?

For many people the purpose of Presidents' Day is to honor all the American presidents. However, it was originally intended for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. According to the Gregorian calendar used today, George Washington was born on February 22, 1732. But according to the Julian, or "Old Style," calendar that was used in England until 1752, his birth date was February 11. In the 1790s, Americans were split - some celebrated his birthday on February 11 and some on February 22.

When Abraham Lincoln became president many believed he should have a special day of honor also. Lincoln’s birthday fell on February 12, which put it very close to the day Washington's birthday was celebrated, meaning the US observed a holiday for Lincoln's Birthday on Feb. 12 and Washington's Birthday with another holiday on Feb. 22.

In 1968, the 90th Congress created a uniform system of federal Monday holidays. They voted to shift three existing holidays (including Washington's Birthday) to Mondays. The law took effect in 1971, and as a result, Washington's Birthday holiday was changed to the third Monday in February. Many Americans feared that Washington's identity would be lost since the third Monday in February would never fall on his actual birthday. There was also an attempt to rename the public holiday "Presidents' Day," but the idea didn't catch on because not everyone thought all presidents deserved special recognition.

Even though Congress had created a uniform federal holiday law, there was no uniform holiday title agreement among the individual states. Some states, like California, Idaho, Tennessee and Texas chose not to retain the federal holiday title and renamed their state holiday "President's Day." From that point forward, the term “Presidents' Day” became a marketing phenomenon, as advertisers sought to capitalize on the opportunity for three-day or week-long sales.

In 1999, bills were introduced in both the US House and Senate to specify that the legal public holiday once referred to as Washington's Birthday be "officially" called by that name once again. Both bills died in committees.

Today, President’s Day is well accepted and celebrated. Some communities still observe the original holidays of Washington and Lincoln, and many parks actually stage reenactments and pageants in their honor. The National Park Service also features a number of historic sites and memorials to honor the lives of these two presidents, as well as other important leaders.

Happy Presidents' Day!