Washington's Birthday

Washington's Birthday History

Washington’s Birthday is a holiday dedicated to honoring the first president of the United States. This Holiday does not celebrate George Washingtons actual birthday, instead, the third Monday in February was chosen as the day to commemorate him. George Washington was a founding father who was born in Virginia on February 11th, 131, and served as the 1st president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. During the American Revolution, he led colonial forces to victory against the British and became known as national hero. This holiday also honors Abraham Lincoln, who was born on February 12th, 1809. In different parts of America, this holiday is also known as Presidents Day.

Top 8 Facts for Washington's Birthday in 2026

• While often referred to as Presidents' Day by the public and advertisers, the federal government still officially recognizes the holiday as Washington's Birthday because a 1968 legislative proposal to rename it was never signed into law.
• Because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, the observance always falls on the third Monday of February and is legally guaranteed to never occur on George Washington's actual birth date of February 22.
• George Washington technically had two birthdays due to the British Empire's transition from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, which shifted his birth date from February 11, 1731, to February 22, 1732.
• The famous legend of a young George Washington admitting to his father that he cut down a cherry tree was a fictional invention added to the fifth edition of the biography The Life of Washington by Mason Locke Weems.
• The modern Purple Heart was redesigned and revived on the bicentennial of Washington's birth in 1932 to honor his legacy as the creator of the original Badge of Military Merit, which is why the medal features his profile.
• Every year since 1896, the United States Senate has maintained a tradition where a single member is selected to read Washington's Farewell Address aloud in the chamber to commemorate the first president's legacy.
• Individual state laws create a patchwork of different names and honorees for the holiday, such as in Alabama where the day is officially celebrated as Washington and Jefferson Day to include the nation's third president.
• In a unique departure from the standard February schedule, the states of Georgia and Indiana historically moved their official observance of Washington's Birthday to late December to provide state employees with a longer holiday break at the end of the year.

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