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Biographies for Kids >> US Presidents for Kids
President's Day
What does President's Day celebrate?
This holiday is most commonly called President's Day, but the federal holiday is officially called Washington's Birthday. The day honors all of the previous presidents of the United States.
When is President's Day celebrated?
The third Monday in February
Who celebrates this day?
Washington's Birthday is a national federal holiday. Many states celebrate Washington's Day while other states officially call the day President's Day. The holiday is held on or around President George Washington's birthday, which is on February 22nd. President Abraham Lincoln's birthday, February 12, is also near this date and is often honored on President's day.
Fun Facts
In honor of President's Day we've put together some of our favorite fun facts about presidents:
- George Washington was the only president unanimously elected. Meaning all of the state representatives voted for him.
- John Adams died on the same day as Thomas Jefferson, July 4th, 1826. This day was also the 50th anniversary of the approval of the Declaration of Independence!
- Thomas Jefferson was also an accomplished architect. He designed his famous home at Monticello as well as buildings for the University of Virginia.
- James Madison and George Washington are the only presidents who signed the Constitution.
- James Madison was the shortest president at 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds. Abraham Lincoln was the tallest president at 6 feet 4 inches tall (Lyndon B. Johnson was also 6' 4").
- James Monroe was the 5th president, but the 3rd to die on the 4th of July.
- On the day he was shot, Lincoln told his bodyguard that he had dreamt he would be assassinated.
- Abraham Lincoln often stored things like letters and documents in his tall stove-piped hat.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt met President Grover Cleveland when he was five years old. Cleveland said "I am making a wish for you. It is that you may never become president of the United States".
- Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to appear on television during a 1939 broadcast from the World's Fair.
- At 42 years, 10 months, 18 days old Teddy Roosevelt was the youngest man to hold the office of president. Joe Biden was the oldest at 78 years, 61 days. John F. Kennedy was the youngest to be elected president.
- Teddy Roosevelt was blind in his left eye due to an injury in a boxing match.
- When Ronald Reagan was shot by an assassin in 1981, he joked "I forgot to duck".
- The "S" in Harry S. Truman does not stand for anything.
- John F. Kennedy was the first president who was a Boy Scout.
- Woodrow Wilson was buried at the Washington National Cathedral. He is the only president buried in Washington D.C.
- Andrew Jackson was shot in the chest during a gun dual, but managed to stay standing and shoot and kill his opponent. The bullet could not be safely removed and remained in his chest for the next 40 years.
- George W. Bush is the only president to have earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
- Barack Obama won a Grammy Award in 2006 for his voice on the audio book Dreams From My Father.
- After working at a Baskin-Robbins as a teen, President Obama no longer likes ice cream. Bummer!
- Bill Clinton enjoys playing the saxophone and was a member of a band called "Three Blind Mice" in high school.
- Martin Van Buren was the first president to be born as a citizen of the United States. The presidents before him were born as British subjects.
- Martin Van Buren was the only president to speak English as a second language. His first language was Dutch.
- William Henry Harrison was the 9th president. His grandson, Benjamin Harrison, was the 23rd president.
- John Tyler had 15 children. The White House must have been hopping!
- James K. Polk was the first president to have his photograph taken while in office.
- William Henry Harrison died just 32 days after becoming president. He died from a cold he got while standing in the rain giving his inauguration speech.
Biographies for Kids >> US Presidents for Kids
Works Cited
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FAQs
Did you know Presidents Day, a federal holiday, is originally meant to celebrate the first U.S. president George Washington and was just called "Washington's Birthday" when established in 1879? In fact, the federal government still uses its former name, according to the Department of State.
What are some fun facts about Presidents Day? ›
Did you know Presidents Day, a federal holiday, is originally meant to celebrate the first U.S. president George Washington and was just called "Washington's Birthday" when established in 1879? In fact, the federal government still uses its former name, according to the Department of State.
What are some fun facts about presidents? ›
Abraham Lincoln was 6 feet, 4 inches (1.9 meters), making him the tallest U.S. president. The first left-handed president was James Garfield, the 20th president. Millard Fillmore, the 13th president, was the first president to have a stepmother.
What are some fun trivia for Presidents Day? ›
Did You know that President John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator? President Martin Van Buren had two tiger cubs. President George W. Bush (first term) and Benjamin Harrison were two presidents elected without the majority of the people (they had the most electoral votes but not the most popular votes).
Why is Presidents Day so special? ›
On the third Monday in February, we honor our first President, George Washington, whose birthday is February 22. We also traditionally honor President Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is February 12.
What was Presidents Day originally called? ›
The shift from Washington's Birthday to Presidents' Day began in the late 1960s, when Congress proposed a measure known as the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
Who was the shortest president? ›
The tallest U.S. president was Abraham Lincoln at 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters), while the shortest was James Madison at 5 feet 4 inches (163 centimeters). Joe Biden, the current president, is 6 feet 0 inches (183 centimeters) according to a physical examination summary from February 2024.
What do I need to know about Presidents Day? ›
"Presidents Day began as George Washington's birthday on February the 22nd. Soon after he died in 1799, Americans celebrated his birthday," said Rogers. Then in 1979 Congress made his birthday a federal holiday, while Abraham Lincoln's birthday was celebrated on Feb. 12.
Who is the only U.S. president to have ever resigned from office? ›
After successfully ending American fighting in Vietnam and improving international relations with the U.S.S.R. and China, he became the only President to ever resign the office, as a result of the Watergate scandal. Reconciliation was the first goal set by President Richard M. Nixon.
Where does the President sleep? ›
The President's Bedroom is a second floor bedroom in the White House. The bedroom makes up the White House master suite along with the adjacent sitting room and the smaller dressing room, all located in the southwest corner.
1. President Washington never lived in Washington, D.C. George Washington is the only US president to have never occupied the White House.
Is there a swimming pool in the White House? ›
The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface. For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, a jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, billiard room, and a bowling lane.
Who was the youngest president? ›
Age of presidents
The median age at inauguration of incoming U.S. presidents is 55 years. The youngest person to become U.S. president was Theodore Roosevelt, who, at age 42, succeeded to the office after the assassination of William McKinley. The oldest person inaugurated president was Joe Biden, at age 78.
What are some fun facts about Barack Obama? ›
Barack Obama served as the 44th president of the United States (2009–17) and was the first African American to hold that post. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama previously represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate from 2005 to 2008. He was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.
Why Presidents Day is slightly strange? ›
So, today, though the federal holiday is marked on the third Monday in February, there is no agreed-upon name, no universal agreement on who is being celebrated, and the use of the apostrophe in the name is varied: Sometimes it isn't used at all (as in Presidents Day), sometimes it is placed between the last two ...
