10 facts about Memorial Day history, including traditions and key stats about US armed forces
By Nicole Pelletiere | Fox News
Memorial Day is observed in the U.S. on Monday, May 27.
While some Americans will use the federal holiday as a time to relax and recharge, others view it as a day of mourning.
If you’re not certain why that is, here are 10 number-based facts about how Memorial Day came to be — plus current observance traditions and key statistics about America’s military.
1. When did the first Memorial Day take place?
America’s first Memorial Day observance was on May 5, 1868, which was originally called Decoration Day by the Grand Army of the Republic, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and others arrive at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Memorial Day, May 31, 2021. (Getty Images)
That year, Americans visited Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and other local resting places throughout the U.S. to decorate the graves of fallen troops.
#POTUS Lyndon B Johnson born #OTD 1908. His presidency saw civil & social change https://t.co/jcIvpUS4AW pic.twitter.com/uhzSSj4bnS
— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) August 27, 2016
The Civil War ended three years prior (April 12, 1861, to April 9, 1865), and an estimated 620,000 people lost their lives in the conflict.
2. Which state is the birthplace of Memorial Day?
President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed Waterloo, New York, the “birthplace of Memorial Day” on May 26, 1966.
Records show the village held one of the first observances on the local level 100 years earlier, according to the Library of Congress.