Presidents’ Day is celebrated on the third Monday of February, and this year it will be celebrated on Feb. 20. Originally celebrated on Feb. 22, which is President George Washington’s birthday, Presidents’ Day was originally meant to honor President Washington, but most people celebrate all of the presidents or the presidents with birthdays in February.

 The Uniform Monday Holiday Act was what changed the date Presidents’ Day was held. The Act was invented to create more three-day weekends for workers. When this changed the date of the holiday, many believed that the holiday was expanded to include President Abraham Lincoln, since the holiday occurred between their birthdays. According to the History Channel, “Washington and Lincoln still remain the two most recognized leaders, but Presidents’ Day is now popularly seen as a day to recognize the lives and achievements of all of America’s chief executives. Some lawmakers have objected to this view, arguing that grouping George Washington and Abraham Lincoln together with less successful presidents minimizes their legacies.” 

The idea to make Presidents’ Day a federal holiday was proposed by the senator of Arkansas, Stephen Wallace Dorsey, in the late 1870s. In 1879, it was made a federal holiday by President Rutherford B. Hayes. President’s Day is a day to celebrate “patriotic celebration and remembrance,” according to the History Channel. Many buildings and offices are closed, such as post offices and schools. Federal government offices, state government offices, and local government offices are also closed on this holiday.