The federal holiday honoring Washington was originally started         
by an Act of Congress in 1879 for government offices in D.C.        
and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices.      

       
As the first federal holiday to honor an American president,
the holiday was celebrated on Washington’s birthday under
the Gregorian calendar, February 22.

On January 1, 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the
third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday
Act.

Actor LeVar Burton shot to fame at age 19 as Kunta Kinte in
the1977 miniseries Roots. Known for his roles in Star Trek:           
The Next Generation (Geordi La Forge) and hosting Reading           
Rainbow.

Original series on PBS (1983 – 1999)

Senator Rankin Fite (right) making the call.

The first 911 call was placed by Rep. Rankin Fite, the Speaker
of the Alabama House of Representatives, in the town of
Haleyville, Alabama on February 16th of the following year.

By 1987, 50 percent of the nation was using the system.

Tyler Reddick (30), who drives for Michael Jordan’s 23XI
Racing, was in first place when he crossed the line at
Daytona International Speedway and won the Daytona
500 for the first time in his career. He didn’t lead a single
lap until the very end.

On February 15, 1998, after 20 years of trying, racing great
Dale Earnhardt Sr. finally won his first Daytona 500, the
NASCAR season opener and an event dubbed the “Super
Bowl of stock car racing.”

Driving his black No. 3 Chevrolet, Earnhardt recorded an
average speed of 172.712 m.p.h. and took home a then-
record more than $1 million in prize money.

Following his victory, crews from competing teams lined
the pit road at the Daytona International Speedway in
Daytona Beach, Florida, to congratulate Earnhardt, who
drove his car onto the grass and did several celebratory
doughnuts, or circles.

Earnhardt, whose tough, aggressive driving style earned
him the nickname “The Intimidator,”

   
Dale Earnhardt Sr. (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)