Presidents' Day
Two dates in February had historically, always been observed as separate holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and George Washington (Feb. 22).
However, in 1971, President Richard Nixon proclaimed there would be one single federal holiday, namely the Presidents' Day, which would be observed on the third Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States of America.
It has been 213 years since Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was born, and I am eager to watch an upcoming collaboration between Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and The HISTORY Channel (showing on 20th February) which focuses on the United States’ beloved President, and how revered he was, and still is.
Abraham Lincoln is based on Goodwin’s Leadership: In Turbulent Times and fleshes out many aspects of Lincoln’s incredible life.
The mini-series will mix interviews with experts, archival photos, and his own writings to paint a fuller picture of our 16th President’s personality, examining Abraham Lincoln from young adulthood through to his death, helping us to have a better understanding of what makes Lincoln such a fascinating historical figure.
More eloquent words have been written about Abraham Lincoln than of any other American, and here on RUSC, in a special episode of The Cavalcade of America, many of these have been put together as a collection of famous prose and poetry including works by Carl Sandburg, Walt Whitman, and several others.
You can listen to the show, A Thinking Heart, here on RUSC. Joy has also put together a special page here which lists many shows about Abraham Lincoln and his career, life and loves which you can use to choose several shows for your playlist. I'd really recommend listening to Keepsakes, and Lincoln Legend.
Happy listening my friends,