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15February,2015

TheUnitedStateshonorsthecountry'sfirstpresidentonthethirdMondayinFebruary.

mentgivesfederalworkersaholiday–ar,thefederal

holidaythegovernmentcallsGeorgeWashington'sBirthdayfallsonFebruary16.

ornonFebruary11,1731

,Britainanditscolonieschangedthekindofcalendar

record-keepingsystemmovedWashington'sbirthdaytoFebruary22.

So,formanyyears,AmericansinformallycelebratedWashington'sbirthdayonFebruary

ate1800s,Congressmadethedayalegalholiday.

Then,about50yearsago,CongresspasdalawtogiveAmericansmore3-day

ersdecidedtocelebrateGeorgeWashington'sbirthdayonthethird

y,workerscouldextendtheirtraditionaltwo-dayweekendto

Monday.

ButneitherofWashington'sbirthdates–February11norFebruary22–willeverfallon

geWashington'sBirthdayisneverreallyGeorge

Washington'sbirthday.

SomeAmericansconsiderthethirdMondayinFebruaryadaytohonornotonly

Washington,esomethingsyoumightnotknowaboutthe

country'ay,ent,butonly43people

son:GroverClevelandwastheonlypresidenttoleavethe

WhiteHouandreturnforacondterm.

AbrahamLincolnwasthetallestpresident,30centimeters

tallerthanJamesMadison,theshortestpresident.

Speakingofshort,

way,hecontinuedtorve:hisgrandson,Benjamin

Harrison,becomepresident48yearslater.

FranklinRoovelthadthelongesttimeinoffice:heonlypresident

ranklinRooveltdied,Congressmadealawthat

presidentscouldrveonlytwoterms.

lerwasthefirst

Clevelandwasactuallymarriedinthe

WhiteHou–and,hewasthefirstpresidenttohaveachildbornthere.

At43,estwasRonald

69athisinaugurationceremony.

dJimmyCarterwerebornin

dBillClintonwerealsoborninthesameyear.

ldren'stoyanimalknownasa

teddybearisnamedafterTheodore–or,Teddy–Roovelt.

Theoffi

thepresidentnevervisitedMountMcKinley,orevenAlaska,thestatewhereitisfound.

Today,somecallthemountainbyitsnativename,Denali.

Finally,manyEnglishspeakerswonderabouttheterm"okay,"whichissometimesspelled

rediditcome

from?

enwasfromatowninNew

tersaffectionatelycalledthepolitician"OldKinderhook"–or,

OK.

I'mKellyJeanKelly.