Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor and remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Although modern-day Memorial Day Weekend is largely seen as the official start of Summer, the tradition goes further back than most realize. Here are a few factoids surrounding this important date.
Memorial Day date was originally meant to always be on May 30th
On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organization of veterans who fought to preserve the Union of the United States, issued a “general order” calling for a day to remember soldiers who died during the Civil War:
The 30th day of May 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
May 30th was selected because that particular date did not commemorate any battles, and the date would ensure that flowers would be in bloom around the Country.
However, in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which allowed federal employees to have a three-day weekend. Thus, Memorial Day is now celebrated on the last Monday in May.
Memorial Day was not an official federal holiday until 1971, when the Uniform Monday Holiday Act became law.
Memorial Day used to go by a different name
General Order #11 of the GAR established a day of remembrance known as “Decoration Day,” which is fitting since people decorate the graves of fallen soldiers.
In 1938, the U.S. Congress recognized Decoration Day as a federal holiday, and even though the name “Memorial Day” was fast becoming part of the American lexicon after the Second World War, The name was not officially changed until 1967.
Every year, the more than a quarter-of-a-million graves at Arlington National Cemetery are decorated with American Flags.
Memorial Day originally only recognized those who fought in the Civil War
In 1866, southern states began celebrating Confederate Decoration Day, known today as Confederate Memorial Day. A number of Southern States still celebrate Confederate Memorial Day.
Following World War I, Memorial Day began honoring all members of the military who died in any military conflict.
It is customary for the president to commemorate Memorial Day
Every sitting President since Ulysses S. Grant has delivered a speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on this auspicious occasion. It should be noted that Grant’s speech was two hours long, and it is highly unlikely in the day of mass media that any president would deliver such a lengthy oration.
In 2000, Congress established “A moment to remember” those who gave their lives for our country
According to the Veterans Affairs website:
“To ensure the sacrifices of America’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed, and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.
The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation.”
Birthplace of Memorial Day celebrations up for debate
Despite the fact that many historians state that Waterloo, New York, is the birthplace of Memorial Day, and in 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson made it “official,” twenty-five other cities lay claim to this title. The debate on where it began continues to be debated to this day.
Memorial Day Parades are a long-standing tradition
- The longest continually running Memorial Day Parade is the Ironton-Lawrence Memorial Day Parade in Ohio, which began in 1868.
- The first Memorial Day Parade was held in 1867 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
- The largest Memorial Day Parades In the U.S. are the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., and the Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade, which is held in Queens, New York.
It’s true: Memorial Day is great for beer sales
Memorial Day is second only to the Fourth of July for the amount of beer sold in America. In 2024, the beer category accounted for the bulk of holiday weekend alcoholic beverage sales, with dollars reaching $1.049 billion.
Last but not least, it should be pointed out that there is an important difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Veterans Day honors those who have served in the U.S. military, while Memorial Day honors the men and women who gave their lives for their country in the line of duty.
This story, written by Charles Betzler, was originally published on May 29th, 2023 under the title “Did you know this about Memorial Day?”. It has been updated and republished under a new headline.
