Around New England

Happy Washington’s Birthday

February 22, 2024

Thursday, February 22, 2024 is the 292nd anniversary of the birth of George Washington.

Known as the Father of His Country, Washington (1732-1799) led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolution and later served as the first president of the United States of America, lending stability and credibility to the new federal government.

He was born on a tobacco plantation near Popes Creek in Virginia on what was then reckoned as February 11, 1732 — because the American colonies, following the practice in Protestant England, still used the Julian calendar instead of the current Gregorian calendar, which was used by Catholic countries in Europe after Pope Gregory XIII implemented it in 1582. England and its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar, which fixed certain calculation problems in the Julian calendar, in 1752, and dates prior to that time are usually corrected to fit the Gregorian calendar.

Washington’s Birthday is a federal holiday. (In recent times it has often been referred to as “Presidents Day,” but that is inaccurate.) Since 1968, it has been officially observed on the third Monday in February — which this year was Monday, February 19 — in order to provide a three-day weekend.

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