Presidents Day

[coldplugs]

I read an interesting magazine article over the weekend about President's day (Today, in the US).

It discussed the apostrophe. The writer looked at various calendars and datebooks in his office and found it spelled President's, Presidents', and Presidents Day. He felt that the exact location of the apostrophe indicated that it honored one president, some presidents, or all presidents and he looked into it.

It turns out, the day (as defined by law in 1968) is really "Washington's Birthday", period. I checked this out on a couple of federal sites.

The term "President's day" was initially used by a large department store chain and quickly picked up by other advertisers.

(This isn't how I remember it - I thought it was to combine Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays and make a 3 day holiday. Oh, well.)

Just setting the record straight.

 

[Baz]

(This isn't how I remember it - I thought it was to combine Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays and make a 3 day holiday. Oh, well.)

Just setting the record straight.

...and Harrisons and Reagans birthday and have a week off!!!

 

[Basil]

With my company, we have certain "core" holidays that everyone takes off, then we are able to pick "two" holidays per year that we can take even if they are not "core" holidays. Guess what I'm doing today /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

Basil

 

[Bret]

(This isn't how I remember it - I thought it was to combine Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays and make a 3 day holiday. Oh, well.)

Just setting the record straight.

I have a similar memory of this. I clearly remember celebrating George’s and Abe’s birthdays “separately” while I was in elementary school.

Not sure exactly how or why the change took place. But when we made Martin Luther King’s Birthday as a holiday, rather than have an extra holiday they combined Washington's & Lincoln's.

All I knew as a kid at the time was that I felt robbed out of another holiday. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

 

[bugimike]

(This isn't how I remember it - I thought it was to combine Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays and make a 3 day holiday. Oh, well.)

Just setting the record straight.

I have a similar memory of this. I clearly remember celebrating George’s and Abe’s birthdays “separately” while I was in elementary school.

Not sure exactly how or why the change took place. But when we made Martin Luther King’s Birthday as a holiday, rather than have an extra holiday they combined Washington's & Lincoln's.

All I knew as a kid at the time was that I felt robbed out of another holiday. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

Yup, My memory also, except that Georges' birthday was always on the 22nd as I recall, not necessarily a Monday!!

 

[coldplugs]

Yup, My memory also, except that Georges' birthday was always on the 22nd as I recall, not necessarily a Monday!!

It's confusing if you really look at it. George Washington was born on 11 February 1731, which then became 22 Feb 1732 when the Brits changed calendars in 1752. So - your memory of the 22nd is correct.

What's odd is that neither of these days can ever occur on the third Monday in February, which is when Washington's Birthday is officially celebrated.

 

[AngliaGT]

But how else would the Government employees,etc.
get a three day weekend?

- Doug

 

[swift6]

But how else would the Government employees,etc.
get a three day weekend?

- Doug

It, and holidays like it are our versions of 'Bank Holidays'. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[AweMan]

But how else would the Government employees,etc.
get a three day weekend?

- Doug

It, and holidays like it are our versions of 'Bank Holidays'. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

Ummmmmmmmmmmmm Make that four day weekends for this retired Government worker. I worked for two different Army depots that were on a 4/10 schedule. So ......... every holiday turned into either Thursday or Monday
To top that off My B day is also on a holiday 11/11. Therefore from Grade School on {excpet for the few civilian jobs I have held}. I have always gotten my B Day off too!

 

[Sarastro]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]It's confusing if you really look at it. George Washington was born on 11 February 1731, which then became 22 Feb 1732 when the Brits changed calendars in 1752. So - your memory of the 22nd is correct. [/QUOTE]

This is a fascinating point that many people are unaware of. The reason was that the British, being uniformly Protestant at the time, resisted acceptance of the Gregorian calendar, which was created under order by Pope Gregory and first put into use in 1582. The switch in the Colonies finally took place in 1752. So, Washington's birthday can be either day, as you point out, depending on which calendar you refer to.

 

[bugimike]

And then, just to add to the confusion, the government can arbitrarily move the holidays around to fit their particular preferrences in giving the population a "manufactured" day off in order to sell cars or mattresses or whatever on a particular day of the year, hehehe!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazyeyes.gif