In 2021, Presidents Day will be celebrated on Monday, February 15. This federal holiday is celebrated every year on the third Monday in February. Officially known as Washington’s Birthday, it was the first federal holiday to honor an American President.
Presidents Day was originally created to honor George Washington for all the contributions that he made to our country. President Washington was born on February 22, 1732. After he died in 1799, his birthday became a continuous day of remembrance. He was remembered as the most important figure in American history at the time. In 1879, an Act of Congress established the federal holiday to be celebrated by the government offices in Washington. In 1885, the holiday was expanded to include all federal offices within the United States.
In January of 1971, the United States passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established a group of federal holidays that would all fall on Mondays. This was done so that American workers could enjoy more three day weekends. Washington’s Birthday was then changed from February 22 to the third Monday of February. It later became more commonly known as President’s Day in the mid-1980s. Some states wanted to combine the birthday celebrations of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln since they were both born in February.
Today, most states use the holiday to celebrate all presidents that have held office. Government offices such as banks and post offices are closed. Stores use the holiday to promote big sales.
