President's Day

The stock market is closed today in honor of President's Day. Since 1971, Americans have celebrated President's Day on the third Monday of February. It is a federal holiday to celebrate the birthdays of our two most famous presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The holiday dates back to 1832 when Americans began celebrating George Washington's birthday as an official holiday. Then in 1965, Abraham Lincoln's birthday was added as another federal holiday, the year after he was assassinated. In 1971, the two dates were combined to make one federal holiday out of the two, and it was called President's Day. Some states still recognize Lincoln's birthday as a state holiday as well. Over the years, President's Day has also become a day to honor all past presidents, not just Washington and Lincoln, but it seems that most emphasis is placed on these two great presidents and the roles they played in the history of our country.