Presidents Day
Happy Presidents Day from all of us at Bob Wolfgram Insurance Agency! If you are lucky enough to have today off work, make sure to take the time to recognize why the day is so important.
Presidents Day, also known as Washington’s Birthday, is a public holiday throughout the United States in order to honor the first president of the United States, George Washington. Presidents Day is the first public holiday that was declared to specifically celebrate the accomplishments and the life of an individual.
Originally known as Washington’s Birthday, Presidents Day was traditionally celebrated on February 22nd, the day that Washington was actually born. After being moved as part of the Uniform Holiday Act in 1971 as an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the working class, the day became more commonly known as Presidents Day. The holiday became a way to celebrate both Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but is now used as a way to celebrate all the presidents of the United States, both past and present.
The first Presidents Day was celebrated in 1800 after Washington’s death in 1799. February 22, 1800 started a tradition of the day becoming a perennial day of remembrance of the first president. At the time of the first Presidents Day, Washington was known as the most important figure in all of American history, leading to events such as the centennial of his birth in 1832 and the start of the construction of the Washington Monument in 1848 to be causes of celebration. Even though Washington’s Birthday was recognized since 1800, it was not nationally recognized until the 1870s.
Bob Wolfgram Insurance Agency in Waukesha, Wisconsin, would like to wish you and your family a happy President’s Day!