President’s Day: it’s one of the holidays that often gets left uncelebrated but nevertheless seems a good excuse to have a day off from school and work. Originally established in 1885 as a day of remembrance for George Washington, it was moved from February 22nd to the third Monday in February and rebranded as President’s Day in 1971 under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The point of the change? To grant American workers more three day weekends. Thought to be an attempt at merging the birthday of the 1st President of the United States with another Founding Father’s, Abraham Lincoln, the holiday took on the name “President’s Day” shortly after the date change.
So in honor of the Founding Fathers and all those who came after them, here’s our compilation of fun facts on presidents past and present.
-Like playing hooky? John Adams supposedly skipped school, too, to go hunting and fishing.
-Andrew Jackson, notorious for the Indian Removal Act, had pets as rough as he: he taught his parrot to swear!
-Gerald Ford was in the public eye in more ways than one: he landed a spot on the cover of “Cosmopolitan” with his wife Betty.
- Though his later job title would earn him a little more than mere peanuts, Jimmy Carter ran his family’s peanut farm from a young age.
- Trying to locate your funny bone? Ronald Reagan could’ve helped: when his acting career was down in the 1950s, he worked for a few weeks as a stand-up comedian in Vegas.
- Expect your president to be award winning? Bill Clinton won two Grammys: one for Best Spoken Word Album for Children with “Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf” and another for Best Spoken Word for the audiobook “My Life.”
- Got school spirit? George W. Bush did: he was the head cheerleader in high school.
One more fun fact: Raymond Geddes has been in business since 1924, the year Calvin Coolidge was elected into office for a second term. From classic writing utensils that Coolidge himself could’ve written with to trendy school tools, we’ve got school supplies anyone would love. Visit our website to browse our virtual catalogue of selections and order school supplies online today!
Sources:
Presidents Day: 44 Facts You Didn’t Know About U.S. Presidents