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A biker rolls through a tunnel on Iron Mountain Road as Mount Rushmore stands in the background Wednesday. (AP Photo/Doug Dreyer) © AP-WWP
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Until the mid-1970s, the February 22 birthday of George Washington, hero of the Revolutionary War and first president of the United States, was a national holiday. In addition, the February 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the president during the Civil War (1861-1865), was a holiday in most states.
In the 1970s, Congress declared that Washington's Birthday should be observed on the third Monday in February. Institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names for this holiday such as Presidents' Day.
Abridged from U.S. State Department IIP publications and other U.S. government materials.
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