Fun facts about Memorial Day

Holidays
Memorial Day
Rate this topic

Free. One surprising fact at a time, by email or push. No app needed.

Did you know? Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because people would decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with fresh spring flowers.

Fact 1 of 27

27 facts about Memorial Day

  1. 1
    It is a common social faux pas to wish someone a Happy Memorial Day, as the day is meant for reflection and respect rather than celebration, though many people accidentally say it anyway.
  2. 2
    In the early years, some families would hold elaborate, picnic-style feasts inside cemeteries near their loved ones' graves, a tradition that eventually faded due to changing social norms regarding public space.
  3. 3
    The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 was motivated by the desire to increase economic output and provide workers with more three-day weekends, permanently shifting Memorial Day from May 30th to the last Monday in May.
  4. 4
    Waterloo, New York, is officially recognized by Congress as the birthplace of the holiday, yet at least 25 other cities have historically claimed the same title.
  5. 5
    Many people mistakenly believe Memorial Day and Veterans Day are the same, but Memorial Day is specifically for those who died in military service, while Veterans Day honors all who served.
  6. 6
    The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause for one minute at 3:00 p.m. local time to honor those who died in service to the nation.
  7. 7
    In the decades after the Civil War, Memorial Day parades were so popular that they often featured elaborate floats, which seems quite jarring for a day of mourning.
  8. 8
    If you look closely at older maps, you will occasionally find Decoration Day listed in the calendar instead of Memorial Day, even as late as the mid-1900s.
  9. 9
    The practice of placing flags on graves at Arlington National Cemetery is known as Flags In and involves thousands of soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment.
  10. 10
    Before the holiday was standardized, some people decorated graves with handmade paper flowers if they could not find fresh ones in their local area.
  11. 11
    Memorial Day is one of the busiest times for travel because it marks the unofficial start of the summer road trip season for families.
  12. 12
    People often think the holiday was started by the government, but it was actually a grassroots movement started by local communities and widows.
  13. 13
    A very small number of towns in the American South still maintain the tradition of 'Decoration Days' that occur on different weekends throughout the entire summer.
  14. 14
    The first national ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery took place on May 30, 1868, and involved thousands of people decorating graves.
  15. 15
    The actual date of May 30 was chosen specifically because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle, making it a neutral day for all to participate.
  16. 16
    The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause for exactly one minute at 3:00 PM local time to pay their respects.
  17. 17
    During the late 19th century, some Southern states refused to observe the holiday at all, opting to hold their own separate Confederate Memorial Day on different dates.
  18. 18
    It is a common misconception that Memorial Day and Veterans Day are the same; Veterans Day honors all who served, while Memorial Day is strictly for those who died in service.
  19. 19
    Before the 1971 federal law took effect, many states held their own individual observances on different days, causing quite a bit of regional confusion.
  20. 20
    Despite the solemn nature of the day, some people still hold to the strange fashion rule that you cannot wear white pants before Memorial Day.
  21. 21
    The red poppy became a symbol of remembrance because of a poem written by a Canadian surgeon who noticed the flowers growing on battlefields in Flanders.
  22. 22
    Waterloo, New York, is officially recognized by Congress as the birthplace of Memorial Day, having held a community-wide event on May 5, 1866.
  23. 23
    Many people believe Memorial Day originated after World War I, but it actually began three years after the end of the American Civil War.
  24. 24
    General John A. Logan officially proclaimed the first widespread Decoration Day in 1868, choosing May 30 because it was the best time for flowers to be in bloom nationwide.
  25. 25
    Under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968, the date was officially moved to the last Monday in May to ensure a three-day weekend, but this change was initially met with resistance from veterans who felt it diluted the historical significance of the original May 30th date.
  26. 26
    While many people mistake Memorial Day for the start of the summer vacation season, its official purpose is a solemn day of remembrance that historically included a National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 PM local time to pay respects to the fallen.
Keep exploring

More in Holidays

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Rate this topic
Holidays
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

In the early years of the parade, the giant balloons were released into the sky at the end of the event; they were equipped with return addresses and offered rewards to anyone who found and mailed them back.

Mardi Gras
Rate this topic
Holidays
Mardi Gras

Although people often associate Mardi Gras with the entire two-week season, the term actually refers specifically to Fat Tuesday, which is the final day of celebration before the fasting season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Rate this topic
Holidays
Martin Luther King Jr. Day

In the early 1980s, the musician Stevie Wonder released a song called Happy Birthday to help campaign for the holiday, and it became an anthem that helped convince lawmakers to finally sign the bill into law.

Mistletoe
Rate this topic
Holidays
Mistletoe

Mistletoe is actually a partial parasite that steals water and minerals from trees, meaning the plant we kiss under is technically a bit of a freeloader.

Mother's Day
Rate this topic
Holidays
Mother's Day

The founder of Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis, spent her later years campaigning to have the holiday removed from the calendar because she hated how commercialized it became.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Rate this topic
Holidays
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The film was written by John Hughes and is based on his own short story Christmas '59, which was published in National Lampoon magazine.