ORIGINS OF THE MONDAY HOLIDAY
     In 1968, Congress passed the Monday Holidays Act, which moved the official observance of Washington's birthday from Feb. 22 to the third monday in February.  Some reformers had wanted to change the name of the holiday as well, to President's Day, in honor of both Lincoln and Washington, but that proposal was rejected by Congress, and the holiday remained officially Washington's Birthday.
     Nevertheless, there was a popular misconception that the day had been officially renamed, a misconception only reinforced by the fact that the third Monday in 
February can only occur between Febs. 15 and Feb. 21.  This means that the holiday is always after Lincoln's birthday and before Washington's birthday, without ever coinciding with either.  Furthermore, some states whicdh had previously celebratede Lincoln's Birthday dropped the observance after the federal holiday reforms, supporting the notion that the two presidential birthdays had been combined.