February 22 was first pitched as a way to give federal workers one more three-day weekend each year, by having them take off the Monday that falls closest to George Washington’s birthday. For decades after the first President’s term, it was pretty common to celebrate him anyway; but as the years passed by, fewer and fewer cities held February parades in honor of Washington, and it just became a bonus day off.
It’s also a day for sales events at car dealerships. These events have become big business – sales go up by 25% on President’s day, which also means a lot more Auto Insurance policies get written.
But why do we buy so many cars on President’s day? One answer: bicycles. President’s day was established in the middle of a late-1800s bicycle craze that was sweeping the nation. A lot of people had the day off, but unlike just a few decades before, there weren’t any parades or festivals being held to celebrate George Washington (or Abe Lincoln, for that matter). Bicycle merchants started promoting the free day as a perfect opportunity for families to get together and ride.
They would hold elaborate picnics with bicycle races and everything, and before too long manufacturers started using those picnics as occasions to reveal the year’s new models. By the 1890s the holiday was called “Bicycle Day” just as commonly – if not more so – as it was called President’s day. As motorcycle and Automotive dealers sprang up, they piggybacked on Bicycle Day’s popularity, releasing their own new models at the same time.
We aren’t sure what the status of bicycle insurance was in the 1800s, but if you’re celebrating President’s day with a new car, talk to Plummer Insurance to get the personal service that keeps you feeling covered.