Presidents' Day is right around the corner in the U.S., so most of us are thinking about the long three-day weekend (Yay!). This year, Presidents' Day is on February 20, 2023, and while I had originally planned to give you 20 fun facts about Presidents, I got carried away! So, here are 27 things to know about Presidents' Day! Thanks to Encyclopedia Britannica, Ducksters, and the National Parks Foundation for most of the info!
1. The U.S. celebrates Presidents Day on the third Monday in February, thanks to the 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
2. It was established in 1885 in honor of President George Washington’s birthday
3. Washington’s birthday was on February 22, 1732 (this would be his 282nd birthday!)
4. Washington’s birthplace is a national monument and is located in Colonial Beach, VA
5. George Washington was the only President elected unanimously.
6. It is still officially called Washington’s Birthday by the federal government
7. The government debated renaming the holiday to Presidents Day to include President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, but the proposal failed in committees.
8. Lincoln’s birthday was on February 12, 1809 (this would be his 205th birthday!)
9. Lincoln’s birthplace is a national historical park and is located in Hodgenville, Kentucky
10. President Ulysses S. Grant established Yellowstone as the first national park.
11. President Theodore Roosevelt has the most national parks named in his honor (Lincoln is a close runner-up for that title).
12. Roosevelt’s birthplace is a national historic site and is located in New York City, NY.
13. Adams National Historical Park was the birthplace of two presidents: John Adams and John Quincy Adams.
14. The most recent presidential birthplace added to the National Park System belonged to William Jefferson Clinton.
15. There are 35 parks named after American Presidents, and one park that celebrates four of them (but it’s named after a New York attorney).
16. James K. Polk was the first president to have his photograph taken while in office.
17. Warren G. Harding was the first President to be heard on the radio on June 14, 1922 (but Calvin Coolidge was the first President to give a speech on the radio in 1925).
18. Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was the only U.S. president to serve for more than two terms. In 1947, the 22nd Amendment was passed limiting a president to two terms.
19. FDR was also the first president to appear on television on April 30, 1939 - for the opening ceremony for the World’s Fair.
20. There were 11 presidents with a disability. Find out who they are on Inc.com.
21. Eight presidents have died in office - William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.
22. The smallest president was James Madison - 100 lbs. and 5’ 4”. The biggest was William Howard Taft at over 330 lbs. The tallest president was Abraham Lincoln at 6’ 5”.
23. The youngest elected president was JFK who was 43, but the youngest to serve was Theodor Roosevelt, who was 42 when he became president after McKinley was assassinated. The oldest president is Joe Biden at 78.
24. Barack Obama won a Grammy Award in 2006 for his voice on the audio book Dreams From My Father.
25. Martin Van Buren was the first president to be born as a citizen of the United States.
26. The "S" in Harry S. Truman doesn't stand for anything.
27. Bonus: Is It “President’s Day,” “Presidents Day,” or “Presidents’ Day”? It's Presidents' Day since we're celebrating more than one president.
Comments