Presidents’ Day (please note my placement of the apostrophe) began life as a celebration of George Washington’s Birthday, February 22, 1732, But Washington was really born on February 11, 1731, according to the Julian calendar, which was in effect when Washington entered the earthly stage. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1752 throughout the British Empire, Washington’s birthday was moved ahead a year and 11 days, to February 22, 1732.
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After unanimously electing George Washington president in 1789, members of Congress faced a new challenge: deciding how to address him. Having never elected a president, other countries offered no precedent. Suggestions included “His Exalted Highness,” “His Elected Highness,” “His Majesty the President,” and “His Highness, the President of the United States, and Protector of the Rights of the Same.” Washington would have none of that, and it was decided that he would simply be called “Mr. President.”
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John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the only presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence. George Washington was not among them because he was busy defending New York City against the British, as commander in chief of the continental army. But George Washington and James Madison were the only presidents to sign the Constitution,
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From George Washington to Dwight Eisenhower, 13 presidents were generals. In 1976, President Gerald Ford posthumously promoted George Washington to “General of the Armies of the United States,” a rank forever above all other officers of the U.S. Army. Congressman Lucien Nedzl thought the rank was unnecessary, saying, “It’s like the Pope offering to make Christ a Cardinal.”
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The only president who didn’t live in Washington was . . . Washington. During George Washington’s administration the nation’s capital was located in New York and Philadelphia. It was John Adams who first occupied what was then known as The President’s House, on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The Adams family moved into the White House on November 1, 1800, while the paint was still drying. Adams occupied The President’s Mansion for only four months, having lived most of his term in Philadelphia.
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George Washington (both terms) and James Monroe (second term) were the only two presidents to run unopposed. They are also our only two presidents who have national capitals named after them — Washington, D.C. and Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. George Washington is the only president after whom a state is named, while four state capitals commemorate four other presidents — Jefferson City, Missouri; Madison, Wisconsin; Jackson, Mississippi; and Lincoln, Nebraska.
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George Washington suffered severe tooth loss that made it difficult for him to eat and even speak. At his inauguration, Washington had but a single tooth that was his. At various times he wore dentures made of human teeth, hippopotamus ivory, or lead — never wood. Wooden teeth would have filled Washington’s maw full of rotting pulp. His lack of choppers altered the shape of his once-handsome face, resulting in the pinched look in his later portraits.
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When British troops burned the White House in 1814, First Lady Dolly Paine Todd Madison courageously rescued Gilbert Stuart’s famous portrait of George Washington before she fled the city. That most recognized of all presidential portraits is the only remaining possession from the original building.
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The first official U.S. government adhesive postage stamps were issued on July 1, 1847. George Washington appeared on the 10-cent denomination. His portrait also adorns the quarter and $1 bill.
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In 1796, George Washington retired after four decades of public service. Those years included two terms as our first president He declined to serve a third term. Washington returned to Mount Vernon, Virginia, to devote his attention to making the plantation as productive as it had been before he became president. He died on December 14, 1799, at the age of 67. He was entombed at Mount Vernon, which in 1960, was designated a national historic landmark.
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On Monday, February 19, Presidents’ Day, starting at 10 am, I’ll be performing “Fascinating Facts About Our Presidents” at the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center, 16780 La Gracia. (858 756 3041). On Tuesday, February 27, starting at 12:20 pm, I’ll be offering that show at the University Community Branch Library, 4155 Governor Drive. Admission is free at both venues. I’d love to meet you at one of them…