Memorial Day
28 May 2012
President Herbert Hoover makes a Memorial Day address at Valley Forge, 1931. Photo Credit: White House
The first Memorial Day was observed on May 30, 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War. It was initially called Decoration Day since people would adorn the fallen soldiers’ graves with flowers as a way to honor their sacrifices. As time went by, the name changed to Memorial Day and became a nationwide celebration of all the country’s fallen soldiers, not just from the Civil War. Congress declared Memorial Day a federal holiday in 1971.
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