President’s Day falls on Feb. 15 this year, as it is the third Monday of February. The holiday began as a celebration of George Washington’s birthday which is Feb. 22 and officially became a holiday in 1885. In 1971, as told by The History Channel, the holiday evolved to create another three-day weekend for workers in America. It is one of 11 holidays that Congress has created. President’s Day now represents and celebrates all the presidents that the United States has had and will have. There are a total of four notable American government officials who have birthdays in February: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and William Henry Harrison. There are a few states that do not observe the federal holiday: Florida, Lowa, Kentucky, Delaware, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Kansas, and North Carolina, as recorded by Calendarlabs.com.
The United States has changed quite a bit since the first President’s Day, 136 years ago. Specifically, Americans have witnessed the first African American President, Barack Obama, and the first female African and Asian American Vice President, Kamala Harris. This topic is something to celebrate, especially during February which is Black History Month. President Barack Obama accomplished several things during his administration. Not only was he the first African American man elected, but he was also the first African American man to be reelected. During his eight years, these accomplishments included reversing the Great Recession, creating thousands of jobs, and legalizing gay marriage in all fifty states. Obama’s Vice President, Joseph Biden Jr., was recently inaugurated as the 46th and current president of the United States of America.
Those celebrated on President’s Day has never been a static list. With each new administration, Americans have a new person to add to the celebration. So far, there have been 45 presidents and 46 administrations with Grover Cleveland being the only president to not have two consecutive terms. A way to honor the holiday would be to find one interesting fact about each president. An example is that Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on the same day! Other choices could be to eat a cherry pie (based on the infamous story) or to read Washington’s farewell address. Happy President’s Day!