I had no idea when I started this blog, committing to post every Monday and Thursday, that the months ahead would bring three major holidays on Thursday. So I don’t have a big post today, but I do have a little tidbit of history for you.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. government passed a law in June of 1870 that designated the first four of the current eleven federal holidays. New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day were already generally state holidays, and became holidays only for federal employees in Washington D.C. It wasn’t until 1885 that federal holidays were extended to include all federal employees throughout the country.
Happy New Year!