Originally Posted by simon_n10
Just out of interest, what do the President and celebrating have to do with one another?
Is this a BA board rhetorical question?
I'm always so literal. I'll go ahead and answer.
We have a national holiday in the US called Presidents Day. When I was a little girl, we celebrated both Washington's birthday and Lincoln's birthday. They are two notable presidents, one the first US president and one the president who abolished slavery. Their birth dates are about 10 days apart, both in February.
As time went on, we added holidays such as Martin Luther King day to our calendar. Companies didn't want to give new days off as long as all the old days remained on the calendar. So it was decided to chose one day to celebrate both birthdays, and to make it a Monday so that we always get a long weekend off from work.
From the US State Dept
website
Presidents' Day: Until the mid-1970s, the February 22 birthday of George Washington, hero of the Revolutionary War and first president of the United States, was a national holiday. In addition, the February 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the president during the Civil War, was a holiday in most states. The two days have been joined, and the holiday has been expanded to embrace all past presidents. It is celebrated on the third Monday in February.