Presidents Day
Posted on February 19, 2012
My brother was born on February 22. That’s why I know that February 22nd is actually George Washington’s birthday.
When I was growing up, we used to get both Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12th) and President’s Day off. I seem to remember that for a while we kept the President’s holiday on my brother’s birthday, but my memory might be a little hazy.
In typical Congressional fashion, we now celebrate Presidents Day on no one’s birthday in particular. Sometimes, it falls on Washington’s Birthday, but usually not.
It is always the third Monday in February. There is some disagreement, actually, if the third Monday in February is done in honor of George Washington or in honor of all of the Presidents.
If we were to have a month to celebrate the most Presidents, it would be October. There were six Presidents born in October, and only four in February. The six born in October include some pretty good ones, like Dwight Eisenhower, John Adams and Teddy Roosevelt. But February had better trump cards, including Reagan with Lincoln and Washington (and don’t forget William Henry Harrison).
Only one President was born in June, George W. Bush. August, as a month, had more than its fair share of Presidential turmoil, with Bill Clinton (impeached), Lyndon Johnson (quit rather than run again), Herbert Hoover (ever hear of Hooverville), Benjamin Harrison (the first President to preside over a Billion Dollar Congress and the first President to lose the popular vote but win the electoral college) and Barack Hussein Obama (we don’t have to really go into how controversial he has been, do we?)
More Presidents have been born under the sign of Aquarius. According to Wikipedia: “In astrology, Aquarius is considered a "masculine", positive (extrovert) sign. It is also considered an air sign and is one of four fixed signs. Aquarius has been traditionally ruled by the planet Saturn, and, since its discovery, Uranus has been considered a modern co-ruler of this sign. "Exalting" planets are either Mars and/or Neptune, while the "fall" planets are Mercury and/or Venus. In Western conceptions of astrology an individual born under this Sun sign is known as an Aquarian.”
More Wikipedia: “Starting in the 20th century AD, humanity in the world entered the astrological era called the Age of Aquarius, for the next 2,000 years. Many astrologers debate when exactly the earth entered the so-called New Age of innovation, openness and global peace and harmony, especially a popular concept by hippies and spirituality movements best known by the opening number of the musical Hair, and popularized by the musical group The 5th Dimension. It is unknown exactly when the Age of Pisces ended, but it could have been as early as between the years 1900-04 and as late as the years 1970-74. But astronomers calculated that the "Age of Aquarius" may be completed when the sun rises in the constellation on January 1st, 2600 AD.”
Only 3 Presidents are Sagittarians, which I find surprising. According to the same Wikipedia: “Sagittarius is seasonally associated with the transition from autumnal moisture to mid-winter dryness. Because its period indicates a change of season, it is known as a "mutable sign" describing an instinct toward change and an easy ability to modify or adapt to the demands of the environment. The sign is governed by Jupiter, a planet that is symbolically associated with temperate qualities that loosen, relax and expand. Sagittarius is also linked with the "element of fire," which represents outgoing, action-oriented energy that seeks spontaneous expression. As the mutable fire sign, governed by an expansive planet, the symbolic focus of the sign is connected to the principle of exploration and evolution. Correspondingly, Sagittarians are reputed to be drawn toward travel and philosophy, and to enjoy social contacts, meeting new people and exploring other cultures. They are said to be highly intelligent, broad-visioned, tolerant in their views, mainly concerned with the "big picture" but with little patience for the details.”
In case you were wondering, I am a Sagittarian. Given the track record, I guess I won’t be running for President anytime soon. Maybe my brother should.