5 Things to Know about Veterans Day

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Today is Veterans Day 2015, a day when the country honors all those who have served in the military. As you honor our veterans today, here are five facts about this day of remembrance.

According to The Christian Post, Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day, which was a reference to the end of World War I. President Woodrow Wilson created Armistice Day as a way to remember all those who fought in “The War to End All Wars.”

As time went on, Veterans Day (or Armistice Day) came to be a day to commemorate the service of all those who served in the military, not only those who served in World War I.

Although Veterans Day was originally observed on November 11 as it is today, there was a brief period of time when it was observed on a different date, in October.

"[In 1968] Congress changes the date of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October in order to give federal employees a three-day weekend. The change begins in 1971," CNN reports.

The city of Birmingham, Alabama is credited with holding the first Veterans Day parade. 

"Gen. Omar Bradley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the keynote speaker. Birmingham native and World War II veteran Raymond Weeks pioneered the concept, founding the NVD nonprofit in 1945," writes Jeremy Gray of al.com.

Lastly, although Veterans Day is a federal holiday, not all public schools are closed on the day.

How do you honor those who have served in the military on Veterans Day?

Photo courtesy: pixabay.com

Publication date: November 11, 2015