Presidents' Day

I must admit I'm not very savy when it comes to some of our history and since today is Presidents' Day, I figured I would brush up on what I don't know and share with you as well....

Presidents’ Day was originally a commemoration of George Washington's birthday, America's first president who was born on February 22, 1732. After Washington's death, our nation began celebrating his birthday as a way to remember his life and how he contributed to establishing America's independence. In 1865, the year after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, America began celebrating Lincoln’s birthday on February 12th and both February 12 and February 22 were observed as seperate federal holidays. Then, in 1971, the two holidays were combined into one and ever since we have honored all past presidents on the third Monday of February. In honor of this day, I figured that I would post a few Presidential fun facts:

* Eight presidents were born British subjects: Washington, J. Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, J. Q. Adams, Jackson, and W. Harrison

* The tallest president was Lincoln at 6'4"; at 5'4", Madison was the shortest.

* The most common religious affiliation among presidents has been Episcopalian, followed by Presbyterian.

* The term "First Lady" was used first in 1849 when President Zachary Taylor called Dolley Madison "First Lady" at her state funeral. It gained popularity in 1877 when used in reference to Lucy Ware Webb Hayes. Most First Ladies, including Jackie Kennedy, are said to have hated the label.

* Kennedy and Taft are the only presidents buried in Arlington National Cemetery