President’s Day is a National Holiday that celebrates both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The official day is celebrated on the third Monday of February. From where he was born to how much education he had, read on for a few more fun facts about George Washington.
1. He was born on Feb. 22, 1732, at Pope’s Creek, Virginia
2. His family arrived in America in 1657 on a ship called the Sea Horse of London.
3. He was an excellent dancer.
4. He did throw a silver dollar across the Potomac River. The Potomac is over a mile wide, and silver dollars did not exist then. His grandson once said that George threw a piece of slate across the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, which is narrower.
5. He had no middle name.
6. The cherry tree story is just that: a story. The tale is that as a little boy, Washington chopped down a cherry tree in his family’s yard and told his father the truth even though it meant punishment. This story was fabricated by Mason Locke Weems, a bookseller who wrote the first biography about Washington (after George died in 1799).
7. George Washington had bad teeth and was afflicted with many dental diseases and pain, but his teeth weren’t wooden.
8. Washington’s white hair was not a wig, although he did powder his hair for the white appearance. Click here for a tutorial on how to rock the style.
9. He only had a grade-school level education.
10. George Washington never had any biological children.
11. A fun fact about George Washington is that he was the United States’ first mule breeder.
12. He was the first person to sign the Constitution of the United States of America.
13. His signature hairstyle was real hair. It looked white because he powdered it.
