February 19, 2007:"Presidents Day"

Calendars, school schedules, advertisers, newscasters, and a handful of states call it "Presidents Day." The federal government, however, calls it Washington's Birthday. It's been a federal holiday on the third Monday of February since 1971, when Congress moved it, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day to Mondays, and created Columbus Day as another Monday holiday. Before 1971, logically enough, the holiday called Washington's Birthday coincided with his actually birthday, February 22, and had since 1880, in the time of President Hayes.

In any case, it's a holiday here at DPD. Until tomorrow, this is a fine article about Washington's birthday and the Monday holiday law published a few years ago by the National Archives.