Memorial Day

Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, is a U.S. federal holiday honoring military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. Its origins trace to the aftermath of the Civil War, when communities across the North and South began holding springtime tributes to fallen soldiers, decorating graves with flowers in a practice initially known as Decoration Day. General John A. Logan, leader of a Union veterans' organization, formally established Decoration Day in 1868, designating May 30th, a date chosen because it did not correspond to any specific battle anniversary, for nationwide grave decoration ceremonies. The observance gradually expanded after World War I to honor Americans who died in any war, and the name Memorial Day became increasingly common, though it wasn't officially recognized as the holiday's name by federal law until 1967. The following year, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the observance to the last Monday of May to create a three-day weekend, effective in 1971. Today, Memorial Day is marked by ceremonies at cemeteries and memorials, including a national observance at Arlington National Cemetery, the flying of flags at half-staff until noon, and a moment of remembrance observed nationwide at 3 p.m. local time, alongside its now-common association as the unofficial start of summer.