Today, we celebrate Presidents’ Day!
Established in 1885, Presidents’ Day originally honored our first President of the United States of America, Mr. George Washington. Today, we set aside the third Monday of every February to recognize and celebrate all of our 43 Presidents!
You may wonder why we recognize 43 Presidents when our current leader, Mr. Barack Obama, is the 44th President. Did you know that one man, Mr. Grover Cleveland, served as President twice? He is the only person to have been President, lost the election for second term, and was re-elected in the following election.
So why is Presidents’ Day celebrated in February? The answer lies in the birthdays of two very important past Presidents. Mr. Washington was born on Feb 22, 1732, and Mr. Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb 12, 1809. Two other past Presidents, Ronald Reagan and William Henry Harrison, were also born in February. Since the holiday was originally in honor of Mr. Washington, Presidents’ Day fell on his birthday, but it was decided later to include all Presidents and be observed as it is today.
Being the President is a huge job! Can you imagine running an entire country? Not just anyone can be the President of the United States, and the process to choose the right person can be tedious. Each and every President deserves a holiday set aside for them and their efforts!
So help us celebrate Presidents’ Day by honoring Presidents of the past and present–and be sure to check out a few of our awesome books on the subject!
More From the Web
- Here are two great sites for Presidents’ Day Crafts: DLTK Kids and Enchanted Learning.
- Want some learning activities? Check out Family Education’s website!
- PBS Kids’ website has an interactive Democracy Project for children to get a feel for how the Presidency works. It includes facts about past Presidents’ days in the White House.
- How about 10 Things Kids Probably Don’t Know About Presidents’ Day?
- Find all kinds of books about presidents, elections, and more from our catalog!
