Presidents Day

From a Celebration of the First President to a Celebration of the Presidency

Nothing, from the date to the name to the punctuation, has been straightforward in the celebration of Presidents' Day (which is officially observed by the federal government as Washington's Birthday), says biographer Alexis Coe. 

Politicians Quote Abraham Lincoln a Lot. Historians Say They Don't Always Do His Words Justice

by Olivia B. Waxman

Kate Masur, Eric Foner, Manisha Sinha, Nina Silber and Thavolia Glymph describe the selective and deceptive quotings of Lincoln that have sprung up in this political climate and suggest some futher reading. 

Go out and shop the Presidents Day sales. It's what George Washington would have done!

by David Head

Washington made fashionable purchases that shaped his sense of self and helped him think through the colonies' relationship with the mother country.

Alabama omits Civil War leader Abraham Lincoln from Presidents Day holiday

The reason for the Alabama variation stems from old grudges birthed in the Civil War.

HNN Hot Topics: President's Day

On President’s Day Let’s Remember Lincoln for This

by James Tuten

His mercy.

Channeling George: On Friendship with the Opposite Sex

by Thomas Fleming

Reflections on George Washington, Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day.

When Presidents Day Was Bicycle Day

Long before Washington's Birthday was marked by car sales, Americans celebrated their first president by pedaling.

“So Help Me God” and the Presidential Oath

by David B. Parker

Yet another legacy of the Cold War

The Secret of Abraham Lincoln’s Success as a Writer?

by Rosemarie Ostler

He had a reputation as a country bumpkin, but he knew his grammar inside out.

Is It Presidents Day or President's Day or Presidents' Day?

by HNN Staff

The bouncing apostrophe bespeaks a certain uncertainty.

What Would Lincoln Do?

by Richard Brookhiser

Modern-day leaders could learn a lot from our 16th president.