3rd Monday

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr Day.  It is a Federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev Dr. Martin Luther King  Jr.  It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King's birthday, January 15.
The idea of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday was promoted by labor unions in contract negotiations. After King's death, United States Representative John Conyers  and United States Senator Edwards Brooke introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979. However, it fell five votes short of the number needed for passage. Two of the main arguments mentioned by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition. Only two other persons have national holidays in the United States honoring them: George Washington and Christopher Columbus , the navigator, colonizer, and explorer.  Six million signatures were collected for a petition to Congress to pass the law. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed on January 20, 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr day.