Formerly
called Armistice Day, Veteran's Day falls on November
11 every year.
The holiday commemorates the signing of the Armistice which ended the fighting of World War I "at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month", on November 11, 1918. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed it as Armistice Day in 1919 as an annual day of mourning.
The name was changed in 1954 to Veterans Day, honoring the fallen in all wars.
In the U.S., Veterans Day was observed on November 11 from 1919 through 1970. An attempt was made to observe Veterans Day on a Monday beginning in 1971, but the separation of Veterans Day from Armistice Day was unpopular with veterans groups and other citizen groups, and its observance was moved back to November 11 state by state. Effective January 1, 1978, November 11 was made the national observance date. It has been observed on November 11 since that date.
Annual commemorations in the U.S. include a wreath-laying ceremony by the President or his representative at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.
The poppy became the symbol of remembrance of World War I in reference to the poppy fields of Flanders (now Belgium), made famous by the poem by John McCrae, In Flanders Fields:
"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row . . ."
Artificial poppies have been manufactured and sold in the U.S. and Europe since the early 1920's, the proceeds benefiting veterans of U.S. and European wars who are in need.
Web Sites
- U.S. Library of Congress (American Memory) "Today in History"
- Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
- Veterans of Foreign Wars "Buddy Poppy"
- Arlington National Cemetery
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Veteran's Day, World War 1914-1918, World War I.
Databases
Enter the phrase Veteran's Day in these databases: