NewsNational News

Actions

The history behind the Presidents Day holiday

Lincoln Memorial
Posted
and last updated

Why do we celebrate Presidents Day in February?

First of all, Presidents Day, according to federal law, isn’t real. It’s officially known as Washington’s birthday.

George Washington’s birthday is February 22.

A federal holiday was passed into law in the 1870s to celebrate on that day. In the 1960s, things changed.

Congress proposed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which wanted to change the celebration of several federal holidays from specific dates to predetermined Mondays.

While the holiday is still designated as Washington’s birthday in the United States code, Presidents Day is now celebrated on the third Monday in February each year.

The holiday also celebrates Abraham Lincoln, who was born on February 12.