GWEvery third Monday in February, as a country we honor the 45 men who have served as President of the United States. But it didn’t start out that way.

The original holiday, which started in 1880 and became a federal holiday in 1885, was in celebration of George Washington’s birthday, February 22. Its sole purpose was to honor America’s first president by paying homage to his accomplishments as both a statesman and the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

Soon Abraham Lincoln’s birthday – February 12 – was added to the celebration, though it was never recognized as an official federal holiday. In all, four presidents were born in February: Ronald Reagan (6th), William Henry Harrison (9th), Lincoln (12th), and Washington (22nd).

However, even as popular as February is for presidential births, it is surpassed by a four-way tie among March, August, October, and November with five each and October with six. But moving Presidents’ Day to one of those months would have been a monumental task because the country was used to celebrating in February.

TJ

Along the way, several states began to honor Thomas Jefferson, the country’s third president, whose birthday was April 13. In an effort to provide a spirit of unity among the celebrations, and to honor the growing list of presidents, Washington’s Birthday celebration was consolidated into a joint celebration under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed in 1968. Under the legislation, Washington’s Birthday moved to the third Monday of February, regardless of whether it fell on Washington’s actual birth date.

As the new multi-president holiday became more popular, it was unofficially changed to Presidents’ Day, gaining traction in the mid-1980s as retailers looked for another opportunity to tie a holiday into a sale.

Some states still maintain separate celebrations for certain presidents. Connecticut, Illinois, and Missouri commemorate Lincoln’s birthday on February 12 while Massachusetts observes its own “Presidents Day” on May 29 in honor of the four presidents (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, and George H. W. Bush) born there.

Today, the official name of the holiday is still Washington’s Birthday, even though it only falls on his actual birthday every few years. Individual states have changed the name to Presidents’ Day, but the federal government still refers to it by its original name.

Will that ever change? Nobody knows. Either way, we wish you a happy Presidents’ Day or Washington’s Birthday, whichever you like!