Tax Day is Monday, April 18

Friday, 15 April 2011 | by Pat's Picks

If you haven’t yet filed your tax return on this April 15th—don’t panic. This year, you’ve got until Monday. Why? Because Washington DC is observing Emancipation Day today, a holiday that celebrates the freeing of slaves. According to the Chicago Tribune, a year into the Civil War, slavery was still legal in DC. President Lincoln ended that when he signed the District of Columbia Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862.  He went on to sign the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in the Confederacy, eight and a half months later.  Emancipation Day became an official holiday in 2005.

Other states and several Caribbean countries celebrate a form of Emancipation Day on different dates throughout the years.