When America’s leaders can’t think of the perfect word for certain situations, they sometimes make one up. And those new words often go down in history. From “lunatic fringe” (Teddy Roosevelt) and “iffy” (Franklin D. Roosevelt) to “snowmageddon” (Barack Obama) and “bigly” (Donald Trump), the terms coined by U.S. presidents are as unique as the […]
The third Monday of February is known as Presidents’ Day in the United States. For nearly 100 years, America honored its first president, George Washington, on February 22. That was his birthday. But the date was not a national holiday until 1968. That year, the U.S. Congress passed a measure known as the Uniform Monday Holiday […]
Painting of George Washington with his family, wife Martha, and her grandchildren, by artist Edward Savage. In September 1789, members of America’s first Congress approached the nation’s first president, George Washington, and asked him to call for a national Thanksgiving. That seemingly benign request ignited a furor in Congress over presidential powers and states’ rights. […]
Being president of the United States comes with numerous perks and the fringe benefits continue decades after the nation’s chief executives exit the White House. Presidents are currently paid $400,000 annually, an amount set by Congress. The nation’s leaders have received five pay increases since 1789, when George Washington became the country’s first president. […]