We wanted to thank David Ramsey who sent us an email with this
information. We liked it so much we wanted to share it with you. May all
of you have a great Memorial Day weekend and please take a moment to
say a prayer for our active troops.
10 Things You May Not Know About Memorial Day - Here are 10 facts about the last Monday in May.
10. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day.
9. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868.
8. Originally, the day was to honor soldiers killed in the Civil War.
7. After World War I, people began to observe and honor those who were killed in all of America's wars.
6. The day was declared a national holiday by Congress in 1971.
5.
The birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. The town first
celebrated the day on May 5, 1866, by closing businesses, and residents
decorated soldiers' graves with flowers.
4. Waterloo was declared Memorial Day's birthplace by President Lyndon Johnson.
3. About 5,000 people attend the Memorial Day ceremony every year at Arlington National Cemetery.
2.
Some southern states set aside a special day for honoring the
Confederate dead. It's known as (surprise) Confederate Memorial Day.
1. On Memorial Day, a wreath is typically laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the president or vice president.
