Surprising facts about Washington and Lincoln: How their humility created and saved our nation

A top health official is reporting that forty-four Americans on a quarantined cruise ship in Japan have been infected with the deadly coronavirus. Hundreds are fleeing Jackson, Mississippi, as the Pearl River rises to its highest level in decades. And authorities have confirmed the deaths of two men killed in a large avalanche in Colorado.

When diseases and disasters make the daily headlines, it’s easy to conclude that we are facing unprecedented challenges. So, let’s draw some encouragement from the presidents whose birthdays we celebrate today. 

A holiday with three apostrophes 

Washington’s Birthday is a United States federal holiday observed on the third Monday in February. The day honors George Washington, who was born on February 22, 1732. Some states also celebrate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, who was born on February 12, 1809. 

However, most states have combined the two into Presidents’ Day (the usage in Texas and nine other states), President’s Day (the usage in nine states), or Presidents Day (the usage in four states). Some states use the occasion to honor all of our presidents. 

Wherever we place the apostrophe, it is fitting that we set aside a day to remember George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for what they did and, significantly, what they did not do. 

“He’s the greatest man in the world” 

In The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians, David M. Rubenstein interviews experts on some of the leading figures in American history. He begins, of course, with our first president. 

Rubenstein notes that Washington “essentially invented the office [of president] and established traditions and practices still in use more than two hundred years later.” He fulfilled three roles that helped birth our nation. 

First, Washington led our troops to victory over the seemingly invincible British forces. Second, he presided over the Constitutional Convention, a gathering that was…