Facts We Should Already Know: President’s Day

In honor of President’s Day, I thought I should give you all a brief history lesson in a fun segment I like to call, “Facts We Should Already Know”.

As we all know, this holiday is one where we celebrate presidents past and present, but how did this holiday come about? Well, it originated in 1885 and was celebrated on George Washington’s Birthday, which is February 22nd. It wasn’t until 1971 when the Uniform Holiday Act was established that they actually started calling it President’s Day. Because of this act, in hopes to create more 3 day weekends for American workers, the date was moved from February 22 to the third Monday in February.

Another interesting tidbit, just to lay rumors to rest, George Washington never actually had wooden dentures. However, he did have major dental problems and wore dentures comprised of materials such as ivory, gold, and lead. Don’t forget to floss!

gwashington.jpg 

So there you have it – I told you it’d be brief! Not only is this day a patriotic celebration and a remembrance of all of our U.S Presidents, but it’s also a day to take a break from work and (hopefully) enjoy a nice day off.

Happy President’s Day! Enjoy 🙂

STUDENTS: Please email your submissions/questions/comments to the ELSE Student Editor, Kayla Bianchi at: [email protected]