When is George Washington's birthday?

The federal holiday called "Washington's Birthday" this year falls on February 15. But that's just when we observe his birthday, which actually falls on February 22.

But if there were a calendar on the wall of the room where Washington was born, it would have read February 11. The American colonies, like Great Britain herself, remained on the Julian calendar until 1752.

After 1752, Washington, like many others of the era, marked his birthday on the "real" (that is, the astronomically correct) date of the 22nd. But some people continued to mark it on the 11th. During Washington's lifetime, the city of Alexandria celebrated his birthday on the 11th, and in the last year of his life, he noted in his diary on February 11 that he

Went up to Alexandria to the celebration of my birth day. Many Manœuvres were performed by the Uniform Corps and an elegant Ball & Supper at Night.