When Presidents Day Was Bicycle Day

Theodore-Roosevelt-1902

A bit of history from the days before Presidents Washington and Lincoln had to share a day of celebration:

“Every year, Americans mark Presidents Day with an orgy of auto sales, kicking-off the car-buying season. Our celebration of George Washington’s birthday is now firmly intertwined with the automobile, a testament to the powerful grip of car culture upon our civic imagination. But more than a century ago, February 22 bore a very different identity: It was Bicycle Day.” At left, President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, escorted by police riding chainless bicycles.

 

This entry was posted in Holidays and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.