Most of you student-athletes are enjoying a three-day weekend and many of you coaches, parents, teachers and other so-called “adults” may have today off too.

Why?

Sandwiched between Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) and St. Patrick’s Day (Mar. 17), Presidents’ Day is an annual holiday to honor the Presidents of the United States.

• Why do we do that?
• How long have we as a country been doing this?
• Who gets the day off?
• Do all states celebrate Presidents’ Day?

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1. When is President’s Day scheduled?

The holiday is celebrated on the third Monday in February every year. This year, it’s on Feb. 17; last year (2024) it was held Feb. 19 and next year (2026) it will be on Feb. 16.

2. When did it first start?

Surprisingly, Presidents Day has spanned three centuries: the 1800’s, 1900’s and 2000’s. It officially became a holiday on January 31,1879, which is 146 years ago. It’s a pretty good bet that no one on the planet today was around for that first celebration!

3. What was the origin of the holiday?

In 1879, the government started what was a day to honor the country’s first president, George Washington. Back then, it was held on his birthday date—Feb, 22—until the late 1800’s when it unofficially became what it is today, “Presidents’ Day.” But it wasn’t an officially recognized holiday until January 1879.

4. Was George Washington alive to enjoy “his day?”

Yes, he actually was for about 20 years… the holiday for the next 100 years was an “unofficial” holiday but it wasn’t formally recognized as a federal holiday until 1879—80 about years after his death and 100 years after it was proposed as a bill by the U.S. Senate.

5. Are there any official government actions or events taken to celebrate Presidents’ Day?

Actually, there is one that started nearly 130 years ago: in 1896, the tradition began to read Washington’s Farewell Address by a U.S. Senate member on the actual date of his birthday, Feb. 22.

6. Why isn’t Presidents’ Day actually celebrated on Washington’s birthday then?

It was originally held on Feb. 22 annually until June 28, 1968, when it was passed by Congress as the “Uniform Monday Holiday Act” when many holidays where moved to Mondays to officially celebrate the event (others include Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Memorial Day.) Essentially it went from being held annually on February 22’s to the third Monday in February 57 years ago.

7. When did the holiday switch from Washington’s Birthday to Presidents’ Day?

In 1951, so 74 years ago the Presidents’ Day name caught began.

8. What is the official name of the holiday?

Interestingly, it’s not “Presidents’ Day!” The idea to change the holidays to all Mondays was proposed in 1951, but the federal government never officially changed the name. It’s still officially “Washington’s Birthday,” but  the name “Presidents’ Day” caught on in the 1980’s.

9. Do all states celebrate Presidents’ Day?

No, and it’s more states than you’d think. Ten states– Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Wisconsin—don’t celebrate the holiday at all and, strangely, Indiana recognizes the holiday on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and New Mexico honors the holiday the day after Thanksgiving!

10. What tends to remain open on Presidents’ Day and what typically closes?

As an official U.S. holiday, there’s no mail on the holiday and post offices are closed although FedEx and UPS are open. Others that are usually closed include most banks. The good news for consumers is that stores—from grocery to department stores—are generally open and large chains such as Walmart do promotions and sales for the holiday.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball