>Presidents Day: more than just a Presidents Day sale
Presidents Day: How George Washington and Abe Lincoln Got Screwed Out of Their Own Holidays
Feb 20, 2011 – 10:07 PM
Happy birthdays!
This year, the holiday informally recognized as Presidents Day falls on Monday, Feb. 21. Commemorating the birthdays of two of the nation’s most beloved presidents — George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — the holiday was not always a joint celebration. Surge Desk takes a look at the birth of this mash-up federal day off.
George Washington gets his day
The father of our country was so beloved by American citizens that his birthday, Feb. 22, was celebrated across the land long before it actually became an official holiday. Congress proclaimed that date as “Washington’s Birthday” in the year 1880; starting in 1885, all federal workers were given the day off.
What’s Abraham Lincoln, chopped liver?
Unfortunately for Abraham Lincoln, his birth date was too near Washington’s; if not, he no doubt would have been granted his own holiday. But with Feb. 12 right around the corner from the 22nd, it was hard to justify two days off so close together for state and federal workers. Though Lincoln’s birthday was never formally recognized by the federal government, following his assasination in 1865, commemorations were observed by a number of states.
https://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/20/presidents-day-how-george-washington-and-abe-lincoln-got-screwe/
