Welcome to Monday, February 21st, presidents and presidents' and president's...

Wondering when the apostrophe moved from before the "s" to after?

Presidents' Day was originally established to celebrate the d.o.b. of George Washington, who was born on February 11, 1731. That's pretty far from the date we now celebrate, the third Monday in February.

When Washington was born in the nascent colony of Virginia, this fruited plain was still under the power of the British empire. And the British empire counted its days by the Julian Calendar, while much of the rest of the world had switched to the system we still use today, the Gregorian Calendar.

When Britain finally joined the western world's standard calendar in 1752, Washington's birthday was already 11 days off. Meaning: What was our February 11th is now our February 22nd.

But... we still don't celebrate February 22nd.

Correct. Abraham Lincoln's birthday is (was) February 12th. And some states observed it. To make sure no dead presidents felt left out, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971 moved Presidents' Day to the third Monday in February.

The official name of today's holiday varies by state. Find out more here.

Are you celebrating any president this day?

Putin to Recognize Separatist 'Republics' in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced he will recognize two self-proclaimed "republics" in eastern Ukraine - Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk (LPR) - as independent.

Russian-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian government forces in the Donbas region since 2014. The Ukrainian government in Kyiv refuses to talk directly with either breakaway separatist group.

Putin informed French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of his intended move late Monday:

"Today, the leadership of the DPR and LPR received appeals to recognize their sovereignty in connection with the military aggression of the Ukrainian authorities, the massive shelling of the territory of Donbas, as a result of which the civilian population is suffering," the Kremlin statement said.

Recognition of the rebel-held areas could provide a pretext for Russian troops to enter the territory.

Would you support a war with Russia over Ukraine?

How Green Was  the Fake Snow at Beijing’s 2022 Winter Olympics?

The Beijing Winter Olympics relied entirely on artificial snow this year. By deploying more than 400 snow generators and guns, this is the first Olympic Games to solely use synthetic snow. While the two co-host cities, Beijing and Zhangjiakou, regularly have snowfall, the organizing committee did not feel confident that the Games could receive the amount of snow coverage required.  

Natural snowfall is becoming less and less frequent, with erratic snow seasons and rapid melting putting the future of snow sports at risk. Research states that these conditions are direct results of climate change.

While China has pledged to use renewable energy, Beijing is one of the world’s most water-scarce cities. The International Olympic Committee issued a statement defending their water usage, saying they have designs in place to conserve, recycle, and optimize the water for snowmaking.

If you want to make a difference, consider donating to Music 4 Climate Justice. 

All the Memes Fit to Post

And, In The End...

On this date in 1950, Liberal, Kansas, held the first International Pancake Race.

Contestants must run 415 yards while flipping pancakes.

I miss the midwest,

—Josh Herman

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