VOA慢速英语2015 Washington Has Three Birthdays and Other Presidential Fun Facts

Washington Has Three Birthdays and Other Presidential Fun Facts

The United States honors² the country’s first president on the third Monday in February. The U.S. government gives federal³ workers a holiday – a paid day off. This year, the federal holiday the government calls George Washington’s Birthday falls on February 16. 

But George Washington was not born on February 16. He was born on February 11, 1731 in the British colony⁴ of Virginia. Later, Britain and its colonies⁵ changed the kind of calendar they used. The new record-keeping system moved Washington’s birthday to February 22.

So, for many years, Americans informally celebrated⁶ Washington’s birthday on February 22. In the late 1800s, Congress⁷ made the day a legal holiday.

Then, about 50 years ago, Congress passed a law to give Americans more 3-day weekends. Lawmakers decided⁸ to celebrate George Washington’s birthday on the third Monday in February. That way, workers could extend⁹ their traditional two-day weekend to Monday.

But neither of Washington’s birth dates – February 11 nor February 22 – will ever fall on the third Monday in February. So George Washington’s Birthday is never really George Washington’s birthday.

Other fun facts

Some Americans consider the third Monday in February a day to honor¹ not only Washington, but other past presidents. Here are some things you might not know about the country’s leaders. By the way, Barack Obama is the 44th U.S. president, but only 43 people have served in the office. The reason: Grover Cleveland was the only president to leave the White House and return for a second term.

Abraham Lincoln was the tallest president, at 193 centimeters. He was 30 centimeters taller than James Madison, the shortest president.

Speaking of short, William Henry Harrison served as president for the shortest time. He died after only 32 days in office. But in a way, he continued to serve: his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, become president 48 years later.

Franklin Roosevelt had the longest time in office: 12 years. He was the only president elected to a third and fourth term. After Franklin Roosevelt died, Congress made a law that presidents could serve only two terms.

James Buchanan was the only president who never married. John Tyler was the first president to be married while he held office. Grover Cleveland was actually married in the White House – and, he was the first president to have a child born there.

At 43, John Kennedy was the youngest person elected president. The oldest was Ronald Reagan. He was 69 at his inauguration¹⁰ ceremony.

Four former presidents are still alive. George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter were born in the same year. George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were also born in the same year.

And some presidents are still alive in our language. The children’s toy animal known as a teddy bear is named after Theodore – or, Teddy – Roosevelt.

The official name of the highest mountain in North America honors William McKinley. But the president never visited Mount¹¹ McKinley, or even Alaska, the state where it is found. Today, some call the mountain by its native name, Denali.

Finally, many English speakers wonder about the term “okay,” which is sometimes spelled with the two letters O and K. Okay is an informal way of saying yes. But where did it come from?

Some say the answer is President Martin Van Buren. Van Buren was from a town in New York called Kinderhook. Supporters affectionately called the politician “Old Kinderhook” – or, OK.

Words in This Story

day off – n. a day when work is not performed

affectionately – adv. with love          

1 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

2 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

4 colony   

n.殖民地；(同类人的)聚居地

参考例句：

• There lived a colony of bees on the tree.树上生活着一群蜜蜂。
• They live in an artists'colony.他们住在艺术家聚居区。

5 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

7 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 extend   

v.伸开；展开，伸展；扩大；加大

参考例句：

• Can you extend your visit for a few days more?你能把你的访问再延长几天吗？
• The examinations extend over two weeks.考试持续两个星期。

10 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

11 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。