Since 1986, the third Monday in January has been a federal holiday in observance of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and civil rights leader dedicated to nonviolence. It was the first new federal holiday created since 1948, when Memorial Day became a national holiday, and only the third in this century (the other was Armistice, or Veterans, Day). Dr. King is the only American besides George Washington to have his birthday designated a national holiday. This is a day to honor King's principles, perhaps best exemplified by his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'" For more about this leader, go to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site of the National Park Service.
The term "red-letter day" originates with the tradition of marking holy days in a church calendar in red. We use the term here to designate days of special significance in each month -- holidays, astronomical happenings, anniversaries of historic events, and days with memorable folklore attached. Information is drawn from the library of The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Every month you'll find a calendar of these "red-letter days" on the front page of Almanac.com.
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