Here's what your kids know about Presidents Day: They have the day off from school that day. But there's plenty more they should know about this federal holiday. Check out these Presidents Day facts -- then quiz your kids.
* Presidents Day is celebrated on the third Monday of February. According to History.com, when the holiday was first implemented in the 1800s, it was named "Washington's Birthday" and was celebrated on Feb. 22 to commemorate first President George Washington's birth date.
* According to the National Archives, Congress declared Washington's Birthday a federal holiday in 1879, making him the first American citizen to have such a holiday.
* In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, which moved a number of federal holidays to Mondays -- including Washington's Birthday -- so now the holiday is never celebrated on his actual birthday.
* The famous story about Washington chopping down the cherry tree is fictional. The made-up tale, in which a virtuous, young Washington supposedly said, "I cannot tell a lie, I did cut it with my hatchet" was included in Mason "Parson" Weems' 1800 book, "The Life of Washington." According to theRegister Guard, Weems got a 19th century bestseller out of it -- and the story lives on.
* Every year since 1896, the Senate has observed Washington's Birthday by selecting one of its members to read his Farewell Address. Parties are alternated for the delivery of the 7,641-word statement, which takes nearly 45 minutes. Senator Jeanne Shaheen has been appointed to read it on Feb. 27.
* There has never been an official name change to the Washington's Birthday holiday, but according toUSA.gov, the holiday is now commonly referred to as Presidents Day. In some states, the day jointly honors the birthday of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who was born on Feb. 12.
* In addition to Washington and Lincoln, two other presidents have February birthdays. Ronald Reagan was born on Feb. 6, 1911, and William Henry Harrison was born on Feb. 9, 1773.
* While Presidents Day is an official national holiday, each state is allowed to decide how to celebrate it and what to call it, according to Scholastic. Every state has some mention of Washington, but some forgo acknowledging Lincoln's birthday. In Alabama, the state celebrates Washington and Jefferson Day, named for Thomas Jefferson. And in Massachusetts, Washington Day is celebrated in February, but a separate Presidents Day holiday honors the presidents who came from New England.
* Alexandria, Va., is the home of the "The Largest Parade Celebrating Washington's Birthday in the USA." Since 1923, the town has hosted an annual George Washington Birthday Parade that features bands, floats, wagons, horses and historic reenactments. There is also free admission to many of the town's historic sites.
* Presidents Day has become a day to celebrate the accomplishments of all presidents. PBS Kids has a list of little-known secrets about the first 43 presidents. Included: Ulysses S. Grant once got a speeding ticket for riding his horse too fast and Millard Fillmore was the first president to have a bathtub installed in the White House. And he was president No. 13.
Victoria Leigh Miller is a freelance writer. She has been writing about parenting topics since 2001.
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