Federal holiday today to honor our past presidents

There was not any school this past Thursday and Friday due to Teacher In-service days, which incidentally were lengthy, exhausting, but extremely productive, so your Explorer has had a very long weekend. I trust that you have taken some time today to observe the federal holiday of Presidents' Day. Here's a little history on this holiday.

Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as two separate federal holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and George Washington (Feb. 22) respectively.

In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal holiday, the Presidents' Day, to be observed on the third Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States of America.
Please Note: The Federal statute designates this day as Washington's Birthday, President Nixon issued a proclamation declaring the holiday as "Presidents' Day" in 1971. President Nixon erroneously believed that a Presidential proclamation on the matter carried the same weight as an Executive Order. Since that change in 1971, the common term has been "Presidents' Day".

As the official title of the federal holiday,Washington's Birthday ,was originally implemented by the federal government of the United States in 1880 in the District of Columbia and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices.

As the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. On January 1, 1971 the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. A draft of the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 would have renamed the holiday to Presidents' Day to honor both Washington and Lincoln, but this proposal failed in committee and the bill as voted on and signed into law on June 28, 1968 simply moved Washington's Birthday.

In the late 1980s, with a push from advertisers to open stores on the federal holiday and to promote sales, the term Presidents Day began its public appearance in businesses. The theme has expanded the focus of the holiday to honor another President born in February, Abraham Lincoln, and often other Presidents of the United States. Although Lincoln's birthday, February 12th, was never a federal holiday, approximately a dozen state governments have officially renamed their Washington's Birthday observances as "Presidents Day", "Washington and Lincoln Day", or other such designations.

It is also interesting to note that "Presidents Day" is not always an all-inclusive term. In Massachusetts, while the state officially celebrates "Washington's Birthday," state law also prescribes that the governor issue an annual Presidents Day proclamation honoring the presidents who have come from Massachusetts: John Adams, John Quincy Adams,Calvin Coolidge, and John F.Kennedy. (Coolidge, the only one born outside of Massachusetts, spent his entire political career before the vice presidency there. George H. W. Bush, on the other hand, was born in Massachusetts, but has spent most of his life elsewhere.) Alabama uniquely observes the day as "Washington and Jefferson Day", even though Jefferson's birthday was in April. In Connecticut, while Presidents Day is a federal holiday, Abraham Lincoln's birthday is still a state holiday, falling on February 12 regardless of the day of the week.

Here are a few interesting facts about George Washington courtesy of Marilyn vos Savant.

Did George Washington really have false teeth made of wood?

No, but they weren't the envy of friends, either. At least one set contained animal teeth, a tooth made of hippopotamus ivory, lead, springs and bolts. Fortunately, folks seldom smiled in portraits of that era. Imagine how our $1.00 bill would look!