George Washington’s St. Patrick’s Day Order — a Holiday for the Troops

George Washington was born in Virginia on February 11, 1731, according to the then-used Julian calendar. In 1752, however, Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar, which moved the calendar ahead 11 days and made January the first month of the year instead of March. The new calendar placed Washington’s birth on February [...]

Approved by President George Washington on January 13, 1794, this act called for the Flag of the United States to have fifteen stripes and fifteen stars, reflecting the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union. Faced with the admission of five more states in 1818, the flag design would return to the original thirteen [...]