Presidents Day 2019: 5 Facts About The Holiday

Editor's Note: This is an updated version of an article originally published for Presidents Day in 2018.

February 18 is Presidents Day and more importantly it's a federal holiday, giving many Americans a much needed and well deserved three-day weekend. But what exactly is the significance of Presidents Day?

While the holiday has come to be known as "Presidents Day," it is in fact only dedicated to one president and according to the federal government, that's not the holiday's name. Here Patch will try to break down what the holiday is all about and some of the history behind it.

Here's five facts to know about Presidents Day:

1. Presidents Day is observed on the third Monday in February and the holiday celebrates President George Washington's birthday. According to the National Archives, Washington was born on Feb. 11, 1731 in Virginia, according to the Julian calendar. But the National Archives explain that in 1752, when Britain and its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar, Washington's birthday moved to Feb. 22, 1732.

2. Washington's birthday was legally recognized as a holiday on Jan. 31, 1879, according to the National Archives. Since the holiday is celebrated on the third Monday in February, it will never fall on Washington's actual birthday. That's thanks to the law passed by Congress in 1968 that stipulated certain federal holidays be celebrated on Mondays. The act also included the provision that Washington's birthday be celebrated on the third Monday in February.

3. So how did the name Presidents Day come about? The National Archives say the federal government has never stipulated that that's what the holiday should be called. Officially, it's Washington's Birthday though the federal government acknowledges that state and local governments and private businesses may use "other names." The fact-checking website Snopes has rated the claim that the holiday is officially designated as Presidents Day false. Snopes breaks down some of the confusion behind the name in detail but it has to do with the fact that the government had considered combining Washington and President Abraham Lincoln's birthday into one holiday known as "Presidents Day," something which never came to fruition.

4. Though Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12, was never recognized as a federal holiday or folded into Presidents Day, there are some states where his birthday is recognized as a holiday.

5. Presidents Day is a big day for sales. While it may not enjoy the significance of shopping days like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you're sure to find more markdowns that usual.

Bonus fact: Washington's birthplace, in Colonial Beach, Virginia, is a national monument.

Photo: Gilbert Stuart's "Lansdowne" portrait of President George Washington returns to public view after 18 months of conservation in time for the reopening of "America's Presidents" at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, in Washington. Varnish removal exposed fresh new details throughout Stuart's 18th century painting and a portrait reflecting cooler tones. Photo by Kevin Wolf/Associated Press Images for National Portrait Gallery