By Tom Purcell"I thought the purpose of Presidents Day was getting steep discounts on furniture and linen.
Ah, yes, you speak of the confusion surrounding that federal holiday. Snopes.com does a fine job clarifying what the day is really about: celebrating George Washington's birthday.
Who is this George Washington?
He was our first president, our best president. His birthday used to be celebrated with as much fervor as the Fourth of July.
That's a good holiday, too. It's when you can get steep discounts on cars and carpet.
In 1885, a bill established Washington's actual birthday, Feb. 22, as a federal holiday. But in 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill began the confusion. It created more three-day weekends for federal employees by moving Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day and Veterans Day from fixed calendar dates to designated Mondays — though Veterans Day was later moved back to Nov. 11. It also established Columbus Day, a new federal Monday holiday.
What happened to Abraham Lincoln's birthday?"
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