February 22 in Local History

2026

• On this day in 1732, George Washington was born, but he actually celebrated two different birthdays during his lifetime! He was originally born on February 11th under the old Julian calendar, but when the British colonies switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, his birthday jumped 11 days forward to February 22nd. While he is famously associated with the legend of the cherry tree, Washington was much more likely to be found on his birthday working quietly at Mount Vernon or responding to letters, as he wasn't a fan of flashy celebrations. Interestingly, even though we now honor him on "Presidents' Day," that holiday's legal name is still technically "Washington's Birthday," even if it never actually falls on February 22nd!

  From the 2026-02-22 edition