Happy President's Day! The president's in the United States' history have contributed to many great things in our history, such as land conservation, national monument dedication, constitutional rights and amendments, and so much more!
Why do we Celebrate President's Day:
- The federal holiday is officially honor's George Washington's birthday
- Over time, we have come to *unofficially* celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday as well
- Presidents Day is the third Monday in February
Presidents and public land / conservation efforts:
- Abraham Lincoln (16th president):
- protected the Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley lands in 1864
- Barack Obama (44th president):
- established 22 national monuments
- expanded the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument
- designated 3 new national monuments in the California Desert
- set aside 265+ million acres of land and water for land conservation efforts
- Franklin D Roosevelt (32nd president):
- created 11 national monuments
- created the Civilian Conservation Corps
- planted billions of trees
- combated soil erosion
- Jimmy Carter (39th president):
- signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980
- created 10 national parks and preserves
- created 2 national monuments
- created 9 national wildlife refuges
- created 2 national conservation areas
- ensured 25 rivers remained undeveloped lands
- Theodore Roosevelt (26th president):
- created 5 national parks
- created 18 national monuments
- created 51 bird sanctuaries
- started the National Wildlife Refuge system reserving 100+ million acres for national forests
- Thomas Jefferson (3rd president):
- sponsored the Lewis and Clark Expedition
- conducted the 1803 Louisiana Purchase
- Ulysses S Grant (18th president):
- created Alaskan Pribolof Islands reserve to protect the northern fur seal
- Woodrow Wilson (28th president):
- signed the Organic Act to protect national parks and monuments
- created Rocky Mountain National Park
- created Dinosaur National Monument
George Washington:
- George Washington's birthday is Feb. 22
- George Washington was the first president of the United States
- Washington started as a Virginia Frontier Surveyor, followed by a major in the Virginia Militia, followed by a planter in Mount Vernon
- Washington was chosen to be commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775
- In 1976, the US Congress honored Washington by promoting him to a 6-Star General - so no military person can outrank him!
Abraham Lincoln:
- Abraham Lincoln's birthday is Feb. 12
- Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States
- Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which abolished slavery in the Confederate states
- Lincoln supported the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, adopted in 1865
- Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer on April 9, 1865
Fun Facts:
- Abe Lincoln was the tallest president at 6'4"
- George Washington's hair was actually red, though he wore mostly white wigs
- Teddy Roosevelt was a hunter, but refused to shoot a bear cub - after this, a toy company was inspired to create "teddy bears"
- William Henry Harrison (9th president) was the only medical doctor
- James Garfield (20th president) was the first left-handed president
What is Closed:
- Some government offices (departmentally based)
- Lee County Schools
- Some banks (i.e. Edison National Bank)
- Some other local businesses may be closed, but lots have President's Day sales!
Other Resources & Things to Note:
- Trash Collection resumes as normal (Waste Pro and City Fort Myers).
- Lots of local stores will have Presidents’ Day sales!
- Fun facts in one sentence
- History.com facts
- Kids National Geographic
- More fun facts
- Library of Congress
- US Embassy
- White House list of US Presidents
