- THE FIRST NOTED INSTANCE OF HONORING WAR DEAD WAS IN 431 BC WHEN PERICLES RECOGNIZED THE VALOR OF HIS TROOPS WHO DIED IN THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR.
- THE FIRST RECORDED CELEBRATION OF A SPECIFIC MEMORIAL DAY WAS IN 1866 ON MAY 5th IN WATERLOO, NEW YORK.
- GENERAL LOGAN (US CIVIL WAR) WAS THE FIRST US OFFICIAL TO DESIGNATE A SPECIFIC DAY TO HONOR THOSE WHO DIED IN THE CIVIL WAR. IN 1868 HE CHOSE MAY 30th BECAUSE NO CIVIL WAR BATTLE WAS COMMEMORATED ON THAT DATE.
- ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED TO HONOR THE CIVIL WAR LOSS OF LIFE IT WAS EXTENDED TO INCLUDE WORLD WAR I DEAD AROUND 1920. THE NAME WAS CHANGED FROM DECORATION DAY TO MEMORIAL DAY IN THE 1920’S AND GRADUALLY SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE US OVER TIME.
- CALLED “DECORATION DAY” FOR MANY YEARS IT DESCRIBED THE DECORATING OF FALLEN VETERANS GRAVES WITH FLOWERS.
- NINE SOUTHERN STATES STILL CELEBRATE A CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY AS JEFFERSON DAVIS’ BIRTHDAY, THE DAY STONEWLL JACKSON DIED OR SOME OTHER SYMBOLIC EVENT.
- IN 1968 THE UNIFORM MONDAY HOLIDAY ACT WAS PASSED AND FROM 1971 FORWARD A FEW HOLIDAYS (INCLUDING MEMORIAL DAY) WERE MOVED TO MONDAYS TO CREATE THREE DAY WEEKENDS. MEMORIAL DAY WAS OFFICIALLY MOVED TO THE LAST MONDAY IN MAY. IRONICALLY MEMORIAL DAY WAS NOT AN ACTUAL NATIONAL HOLIDAY UNTIL DESIGNATED AS SUCH BY CONGRESS IN 1971.
- IN WASHINGTON DC MEMORIAL DAY IS RECOGNIZED WITH THE LAYING OF FLOWERS AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY.
- ALL AMERICANS ARE ASKED TO PAUSE ALL ACTIVITY ON MEMORIAL DAY AT 3:00 PM LOCAL TIME AS AN ACT OF NATIONAL UNITY TO OBSERVE MEMORIAL DAY VETERANS.
- AMERICAN FLAGS SHOULD BE FLOWN AT HALF STAFF UNTL NOON AND THEN RAISED TO FULL STAFF ON MEMORIAL DAY.
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