Ruffles and Flourishes/Hail to the Chief mp3
President's Day, is a U.S. federal holiday, observed on the third Monday in February. Initially referred to as Washington's Birthday in 1880, it was restricted to government offices in Washington D.C. In 1885 the observence of Washington's Birthday was expanded to include all federal offices. As the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. President's Day
A rose by any other name...there is some debate as to whether or not President Richard Nixon "proclaimed" or drafted an "executive order" regarding the day of observance for President's Day nee Washington's Birthday. Submitted for your approval, here are 2 resources on the subject:
From the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm
Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as federal holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and George Washington (Feb. 22).
"In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal holiday, the Presidents' Day, to be observed on the third Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States of America."
Please Note: The Federal statute designates this day as Washington's Birthday, President Nixon issued a proclamation declaring the holiday as "Presidents' Day" in 1971. President Nixon erroneously believed that a Presidential proclamation on the matter carried the same weight as an Executive Order. Since that change in 1971, the common term has been "Presidents' Day".
 | From The National Archives: Prologue - "By George IT IS Washington's Birthday!" "President Richard Nixon did not, as a widely circulated Internet story claims, issue a proclamation changing the holiday's name from Washington's Birthday to Presidents' Day. His Executive Order 115 on February 10, 1971, announced the new federal holiday calendar, as passed by Congress in 1968. Nixon's executive order reminded citizens, as did many newspapers on January 1, of the new federal holiday calendar being implemented": |
History of Ruffles and Flourishes/Hail to the Chief
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