Presidents' Day falls on Feb. 15 this 2016 and, while the Federal Government has been celebrating the third Monday of February every year as a salute to the top position in the country, regardless of who occupies it, many might be confused about the holiday itself. It is time to separate yourself from the confused crowd and learn more about the holiday so you can impress people with your knowledge.
The first trivia in the list is that "Presidents' Day" is not even the official title of the holiday. In fact, that title only began in the 1980's and became popularized in the early 2000's. So what exactly is the U.S. observing every third Monday of February that needs to be celebrated with a day off of work? Actually, nothing specific because the dates of actual significance fall before and after the third Monday with Abraham Lincoln's birthday on Feb. 12 and Washington's birthday on Feb. 22.
Trivia #2: The date set to observe George Washington's birthday never actually falls on his birthday.
Originally, the U.S. observed Feb. 22 as Washington's Birthday but the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved certain holidays from fixed dates to specific Mondays as a way to give Federal employees fixed three-day weekends. However, since the third Monday of February falls from the 15th to the 21st, most people have considered it as a joint celebration of the two former Presidents' birthday.
Trivia #3: Some States prefer to observe Presidents' Day with other titles.
The states of Illinois and Massachusetts prefer to call the third Monday of February as "Washington's Birthday" and Virginia uses "George Washington Day" and observe the holiday as it was originally declared.
Several States agree on a joint celebration for the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln and call the holiday as such:
- Utah: Washington and Lincoln Day
- Colorado and Ohio: Washington- Lincoln Day
- Montana: Lincoln's and Washington's Birthday
- Minnesota: Washington and Lincoln's Birthday
Trivia #4: Feb, 16, 2017 could still be Washington's birthday?
When Washington was born in 1731, his date of birth was recorded as Feb. 11 but when Britain and its colonies changed the calendar it used some time later, Washington's birthday moved to Feb. 22. So, if you take the average of the original birthday and the shifted birthday, you can actually celebrate his "birthday" by noon of Feb. 16.
Trivia #5: Presidents' Day is a day to celebrate patriotism.
The Purple Heart medal, a military decoration Washington awarded to wounded and killed soldiers during his time as a president was reinstated on his birthday in 1932.
Trivia #6: Is it President's Day, Presidents' Day or Presidents Day?
All three are correct but it still actually depends on what one is referring to. If it is just George Washington's Birthday, then "President's Day" is correct. If it is meant to celebrate the office of presidency or the U.S. Presidents in general, "Presidents' Day" or "Presidents Day" may be used, though majority of linguistic authorities- think of Dictionary names- prefer the former.
