THE TANGLED HISTORY OF PRESIDENTS DAY
How the Holiday Came to Be
On the third Monday in February, the entire nation celebrates Presidents Day … sort of. While the holiday is known colloquially as Presidents Day, its official federal name is still Washington’s Birthday. If that wasn’t confusing enough, different states officially know it as “Presidents Day,”“Lincoln/Washington/Presidents Day,”“Washington- Lincoln Day,”“George Washington Day,” and more. Let’s untangle how all these variant names came about and delve into the fascinating history of the holiday. Washington was born on February 22, 1731. Given his incredible contribution to the founding of the United States, it’s understandable that a national holiday would be established to commemorate his legacy. The holiday was first established in 1879 for employees in Washington, D.C.. Six years later, it was expanded to include all federal offices nationwide. And for the next century or so, nothing changed. However, in 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This bill officially moved holidays that were once celebrated on specific dates, like Memorial Day and Columbus Day, to a particular Monday in a given month. This allowed for three-day weekends and, hopefully, encouraged retail sales with an extra day of shopping. But this, unintentionally, movedWashington’s birthday celebration to a day between his actual birthday and the birthday of another venerated president, Abraham Lincoln.
By the late 20th century, Lincoln’s reputation and legacy were as titanic as Washington’s. Because Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, many states found it appropriate to make the day a commemoration of two great presidents rather than just one. By the 1980s, “Presidents Day”was the more widely acknowledged name, if not the official designation. Why it hasn’t received a uniform federal name is anyone’s guess, but at least when you say “Presidents Day,” everyone knows what you’re talking about. No matter what you call it, the day is a chance to celebrate some of the people who’ve made lasting contributions to our nation’s history. If you look at any presidential ranking, Washington and Lincoln are probably No. 1 and No. 2. It’s fitting, then, that we celebrate their birthdays in tandem.
SERVICE HIGHLIGHT
Tactics Insurance Adjusters Use to Invalidate Your Claim Don’t Trust the Adjuster
Car, bike, and health insurance are put in place to protect us, to bear the brunt of the colossal expenses if we ever find ourselves in a serious accident. But when push comes to shove in such a situation, our well-being is often the furthest thing from the insurance company’s mind. Instead, insurance adjusters do everything they can to reduce the compensation they rightfully owe to victims in their time of need. It’s important to know that, as a rule, insurance adjusters are not on your side. Sure, most will masquerade as your friend, stating that they need information from you to close the case and get you your money quickly, but really they’re strategizing behind the scenes. Don’t ever forget that the adjusters work for the insurance companies, not you. They’re either trying to string you along until the statute of limitations expires on your case or gathering information to later use against you in court.
Following an accident, most adjusters will call the victims at the earliest opportunity, while they’re still vulnerable. They’ll often claim that, in order to receive benefits, the victim has to provide them with a statement on the accident. Do not provide an insurance adjuster with a statement. Despite what they might say, you don’t actually have to, nor should you. They’re just trying to catch your story in an inconsistency, get you to understate the value of your claim, or second-guess the details of the accident. But insurance adjusters won’t stop at what you say directly to them, they’ll also snoop around your Facebook. Be wary of your social media usage in the weeks after an accident. Many a claim has been sunk by an offhand status update stating that everyone is fine in the wake of a collision. If you end up in court looking for compensation for an injury, such a statement will be used against you. The same applies to any pictures you post — don’t put anything up that makes it look like you’re faking your injury.
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