 On June 28, 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law the "Holidays Act" that made Thanksgiving a yearly "appointed or remembered" federal holiday in Washington D.C. Three other holidays included in the law were New Years, Christmas, and the 4th of July.The law did not extend outside of Washington D.C., while the date assigned for Thanksgiving was left to the discretion of the President.In January 1879, George Washington's Birthday, February 22, was added by Congress to the federal holidays list.