Comments on: Presidents Day

By: Cidu Bill

Cidu Bill — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:59:37 +0000

Todd, didn’t we already determine that in Hi and Lois’s universe there really aren’t any black people to speak of?

By: Elyrest

Elyrest — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:12:01 +0000

Heavenly days! How many state holidays does Illinois have?

By: Mitch4

Mitch4 — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:45:35 +0000

Hiya, Andrea — I don’t know where in Illinois you’re writing from, but here in Chicago we have for several years had Lincoln’s Birthday as an official holiday alongside and slightly before Presidents’ Day. And I always heard it was an Illinois state holiday, not just Chicago — it’s the state as a whole that’s “The Land of Lincoln” after all, and if any locality can claim him it’s more likely Springfield than anywhere else. (When they aren’t busy with Homer Simpson celebrations.)

But yes, there was indeed a bigger deal than most years on Lincoln’s Birthday this year, because of it being the 200th. It happens the same day was also Darwin’s 200th. (This was Thursday, Feb. 12.)

==Mitch4

P.S. I wasn’t kidding about the possibility of there being city holidays. But my example was going to be Pulaski Day (for his March 4 birthday, but standardized to a Monday and thus upcoming on March 2 this year), and it turns out,at least according to Wikipedia, that it’s apparently a state holiday after all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_Pulaski_Day .

By: todd

todd — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 05:49:17 +0000

Ironicly (if this is about Obama), not a single person in that mall is anything other than white.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:16:12 +0000

Out of left field, here, and I’m not even sure that I buy this… But here in Illinois, Presidents’ Day was huge this year, because it was Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

I think it’s more likely the comic was referring to Obama (which is weird, as I agree that most people associate only Lincoln and Washington with Presidents’ Day), but around here, the LincolnFest was/is pretty out of the ordinary.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:33:08 +0000

Quick answer, Mark (you pedant): He was born before England & the colonies had converted from the old calendar to the updated Gregorian calendar, which necessitated (in September 1752? I’m doing this out o’ my head) subtracting eleven days from the calendar, moving his birthday eleven days. He could’ve left his birthday on Feb. 11th. It’s just a day, after all.

We gotta get rid of this “Presidents Day” moniker & change it to Washington-Lincoln Day, celebrating our first & our greatest presidents, both of whom were born in Feb.

“Presidents Day”–ugh. Yay for Fillmore, Buchanan, & Harding!!–double ugh.

By: Mark in Boston

Mark in Boston — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:27:14 +0000

Trivia quiz: George Washington was born on February 11, 1732. So why did he celebrate his birthday on February 22? (Hint: He would have agreed with me that 2001, not 2000, was the first year of the new millennium.) (Second, even more obvious hint: He was born on February 11, 1731/2.)

By: Powers

Powers — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:30:28 +0000

Federally, the holiday is “Washington’s Birthday”. Some states designate the same day as a holiday, and some of those some states call it something different, such as “Presidents Day”.

The only employer required to give the day off is the federal government. Some schools give the day as a holiday, some have the whole week off as February break, and some don’t do either.

By: Charles

Charles — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:45:48 +0000

Mathew: It’s Washington’s Birthday:
http://www.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2009.asp

“This holiday is designated as “Washington’s Birthday” in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code …”

It’s the Monday holiday thing - third Monday in February.

“President’s day” is the commercialized term …

By: Todd

Todd — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:48:40 +0000

I’m curious. From what I can tell, our local schools, in Fresno, CA, had two sequential Mondays off. I don’t know if the ninth was for Lincoln, or if it was a professional development day.

Do other parts of the country not get President’s/Washington’s Birthday off? Is this in areas where snow may cause school to be canceled on other days?