Memorial Day Facts 2017: 6 things you didn’t know about holiday
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In commemoration of Memorial Day here are some quick facts you may not know about the holiday.
The holiday Memorial Day is upon us and this is when we remember and thank those fallen heroes that died fighting for our country. This honorary day is celebrated across the United States of America on the last Monday of the month of May. Particularly, on this day many people visit their loved ones who perished or friends at the cemeteries and memorials to honor all of those heroes. There are many people who volunteer to place an American flag on each grave.
The United States flag is raised to the top of the staff and then lowered to half-staff, where it stays until noon. After that it is raised to full-staff for the rest of the day, which is symbolic as the flag rises and so is their memory by the living who promise to not let their sacrifice be in vain and continue to fight for liberty and justice for all.
Here are some quick facts about Memorial Day you may now know:
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1. Memorial Day: was originally called Decoration Day.
2. Decoration Day: To honor the fallen heroes, soldiers would decorate graves with flowers and flags. It didn’t become Memorial Day until 1866 and an official holiday until 1966.
3. Waterloo: The New York state town is the official birthplace of Memorial Day which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866. This town was chosen because it hosted an annual event in which businesses closed and residents contributed to decorating the graves of the fallen soldiers.
4. Civil War: Memorial Day was originally conceived to honor those soldiers that fought during the American Civil War. It naturally evolved to commemorate those heroes that served the U.S. during World War 1 and the rest of the wars ever since then.
5. Uniform Monday Holiday Act: Memorial Day didn’t become a federal holiday until 1971 when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, that established the celebration to take place on the last Monday in May.
6. Holiday Travel: According to AAA, more people are expected to travel by vehicle during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The company estimates that 39.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home. It’s the highest rate of travel since 2005.
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