The U.S. Observes Presidents’ Day on Monday, February 16, 2026, a federal holiday initially established to honor the birthday of George Washington. However, the story behind the date is more nuanced than many realize.
For over 50 years, Americans haven’t celebrated Washington’s actual birthdate. Instead, the holiday is held on the third Monday of February.
The shift stems from a complex history involving calendar changes and a later congressional decision.
Washington effectively had two birthdays during his presidency. He was born on February 11, 1732, under the Julian calendar, which was in use at the time. When England and its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, his birthday shifted to February 22.
The Gregorian calendar adds a day to the calendar every four years to align with the solar year – what we understand as a leap day.
During his time in office, from 1789 to 1797, Americans celebrated Washington’s birthday on both dates. In 1885, February 22 was officially designated as a holiday to commemorate his birth.
That arrangement lasted for nearly a century.
In 1968, Congress considered combining the celebrations of Washington and Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is February 12, into a single holiday called Presidents’ Day.
Legislators from Virginia, Washington’s home state, opposed the idea, and the proposal failed. However, Congress did pass the Uniform Monday Holiday Act that same year.
The act moved several federal holidays to Mondays, creating more three-day weekends for Americans.
The law took effect in 1971, shifting the observance of Washington’s birthday to the third Monday in February.
However, not every state officially recognizes the holiday as Presidents’ Day.
Virginia continues to call it Washington Day, while Alabama designates it as Washington and Jefferson Day, and Montana observes it as Lincoln and Washington Birthday.
