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Why Do We Celebrate Presidents' Day?

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Author: Lucas Eaves
Created: 18 February, 2013
Updated: 13 October, 2022
1 min read

Presidents' Day, also celebrated as Washington's Birthday, is a holiday celebrated in honor of the first President of the United States and his successors.

Originally celebrated on February 22, Washington's actual date of birth, it was changed in the 1970's to the third Monday of February to give employees a three day weekend, making the holiday impossible to fall on Washington's birthday.

The change of date led many to believe that the holiday was now celebrating Washington as well as Lincoln -- who was also born in February -- consecrating the new appellation, Presidents' Day.

The following infographic, created by Veterans United Home Loans, gives a brief history of Presidents's Day and the small anecdotes surrounding it.

Credit: Veteran United Home Loan

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