In the late 19th century, February 22 was a celebration of the birthday of George Washington but by the time it became a federal holiday in 1885, many parades had petered out and people had time off from work with no events to attend. But the country was deep into the bicycle craze then and soon bike races were common and bicycle stores opened their doors on the holiday to show off the new spring line and offered sales.
Instead of Washington’s Birthday, many newspapers referred to February 22 as Bicycle Day as the new hobby had a lot of interest, although living in Wisconsin, I would not be thinking of riding a bike in February with all the snow and ice remaining on the ground and warmer day would be more appropriate. But as the times changed, soon bicycle sales moved to motorcycles and then to automobiles, but one thing hasn’t changed – the dealer sales on Presidents’ Day.
The Uniform Holidays Act of 1971, moved Washington’s Birthday to the third Monday in February so the holiday never lands on the 22nd anymore and although it is often to Presidents’ Day, the federal official name is still Washington’s Birthday so maybe Bicycle Day can make a return on February 22 as more people observe healthy activities.
Bicycle Day
