1. Memorial Day

3. Facts
At the end of the Civil War, communities set out a day to honor the ones who had died. “Decoration Day” as it was called then, was celebrated for the first time on May 1, However, this was not actually the holiday. It was first officially a holiday May 30, 1868 (this date was chosen because it was not an anniversary of battle). Then, it was sometimes called “Memorial Day”, but it would not be the official name until 1967.

4. More Facts
In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized Waterloo, New York as the birthplace of Memorial day. In 1968, the US moved the dates of three holidays to create the convenient three day weekend. Most businesses took advantage of that and decided that this should be the start of “summer vacation”, so most close for Memorial Day.

5. By: Andrea Laverty, Nick Confer, and Tommy Davis