Presidents Day

President's Day occurs the 3rd Monday in February to honor the two presidents, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

Washington's Birthday

The holiday originated during Washington's last full year as president, 1796, in commemoration of his birthday.  By today's calendar, Washington was born on Feb 22, 1732.  Some alternate calendars in use during Washington's time marked the date as Feb 11th.

 

Lincoln's Birthday 

Lincolns Birthday became a February 12th holiday in many states.  His birthday was first officially celebrated by a joint session of Congress the February following his assassination.

Shifting Federal Holidays

HR 15951 was passed in 1968, standardizing many federal holidays, and creating some 3 day weekends for federal employees.  This legislation took effect in 1971.  Washington's Birthday was changed to the third Monday in February.

Officially, the holiday is still known as Washington's birthday, but has become popularly known as President's Day.  Some states have made this the legal holiday and a time to celebrate both Lincoln and Washington's birthdays.