Home / December

A little reason to celebrate

Mudd Day

History · December 20

A history day tied to the name of Dr. Samuel Mudd, the Maryland doctor who treated John Wilkes Booth's broken leg after Lincoln was shot.

Mudd Day falls on Sunday, December 20, 2026. That is 54 days away.

The name points to Dr. Samuel Mudd, a country doctor from southern Maryland whose life was changed by one late-night visit. After President Abraham Lincoln was shot, John Wilkes Booth arrived at Mudd's farmhouse with a broken leg, and Mudd set it.

What Mudd knew, and when he knew it, has been argued over ever since. He had met Booth before, which made his account harder to believe. A military commission convicted him of conspiracy, and he was sent to Fort Jefferson, a brick fort on a remote island in the Dry Tortugas off Florida.

The story did not end there. When yellow fever swept through the fort and its own doctor died, Mudd treated the sick soldiers and prisoners. Some of the men he cared for later spoke up for him. President Andrew Johnson pardoned him, and he went home to Maryland to farm and practice medicine again.

People mark the day by reading about the trial, looking at the evidence, and deciding for themselves whether Mudd was a conspirator, an unlucky host, or something in between. His Maryland farmhouse is kept as a museum, and Fort Jefferson stands inside Dry Tortugas National Park.

Many people have heard that the phrase "your name is mud" comes from him. It is a tidy story, but the phrase was already in use before Booth ever knocked on his door.

Ways to celebrate

• Read a firsthand account or transcript from the Lincoln conspiracy trial.
• Look up photos of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas.
• Discuss with a friend whether Mudd knew who his patient was.
• Look up the real origin of the phrase "your name is mud."

Dates

All national days on December 20

Also on December 20

• U.S. Space Force Birthday
• National Sangria Day
• Games Day
• Go Caroling Day
• Sacagawea Day

Categories: History days