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I saw this on the news this morning. Three different sources. Which is correct?

President's Day

Presidents' Day

Presidents Day

Posted - February 19, 2018
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Responses


  • 19937
    I'm guessing Presidents Day because it is supposed to honor both Washington and Lincoln. This post was edited by SpunkySenior at February 19, 2018 7:10 AM MST
      February 19, 2018 7:09 AM MST
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  • 44604
    None of the anchors could make up their minds. I'm sure Randy or Nevan will set it straight.
      February 19, 2018 7:11 AM MST
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  • 19937
    It is definitely not the first because the holiday applies to two presidents and the first is a single possessive.
    It could probably be either of the other two.
      February 19, 2018 7:17 AM MST
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  • 34253
    Presidents Day because it is in honor of the Presidents. The Presidents do not possess the day. 
      February 19, 2018 7:16 AM MST
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  • 7280
    Your answer is predicated upon what makes sense to you.

    That can always turn out to be a problem for anyone who answers without specific knowledge of the question submitted.

    And that is not what determines how it is spelled.
      February 19, 2018 9:31 AM MST
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  • 34253
    My answer is based on the first two choices both showing possession. 
      February 19, 2018 10:27 AM MST
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  • 7280
    1)  https://mentalfloss.com/article/75449/where-should-you-place-apostrophe-presidents-day

    2    )  The story of Presidents’ Day date begins in 1800. Following President George Washington’s death in 1799, his February 22 birthday became a perennial day of remembrance. At the time, Washington was venerated as the most important figure in American history, and events like the 1832 centennial of his birth and the start of construction of the Washington Monument in 1848 were cause for national celebration.

    Keep reading at:   https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/presidents-day 

    And one more site:  https://writingexplained.org/how-to-spell-presidents-day

     



     This post was edited by tom jackson at February 20, 2018 6:14 AM MST
      February 19, 2018 9:23 AM MST
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  • 17593
    Presidents Day
      February 19, 2018 9:28 AM MST
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  • I think it’s Precedence day This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at February 20, 2018 6:14 AM MST
      February 19, 2018 9:36 AM MST
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  • All three have a valid argument behind them: 

    "President's Day" would be in the vein of "Mother's Day" and "Father's Day"; a day to honor the office of president in general. In the way that Mother's Day is the day of the mother, "President's Day" is the day of the president. 

    "Presidents' Day" is another way of saying "the day of the presidents"; rather than emphasizing the office of president, it refers to all the presidents at once. This is, according the sources I've consulted, the more traditional name of the holiday. And it is the most frequent that I see, browsing the internet right now.

    "Presidents Day" is abjuring the possessive construction all together. Here we have a situation of a noun adjunct: the noun "presidents" is modifying "day". It's not a short day or a happy day, it's a presidents day! This seems to be less common in the names of holidays. Grammatically, it's acceptable, but it is is a somewhat newer construction. 
      February 19, 2018 9:44 AM MST
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