Happy President Washington Lincoln's birthday

[avram]

Jon Carroll on the life and times of President Washington Lincoln:

Known for emancipating his country, President Washington Lincoln was often called "The Father of the Slaves." His mutable birthday, based on a lunar calendar, is but one remarkable feature of this remarkable man.

It was more than 200 years ago on this day, which was then called "Feb. 21, " that the future president was born in a log cabin near the Potomac. As a child, he chopped down a cherry tree in order to build a split-rail fence. Later, he walked 12 miles across the Potomac to throw a silver dollar.

"I regret," he is supposed to have said, "that I have but one dollar to throw into a river."