Veteran’s Day 2020: what do you need to know to understand the holiday and why it exists? Veteran’s Day is named pretty obviously for United States military veterans, but do you know why and when it first started? Find your fun facts here.
Veteran’s Day 2020: history and fun facts
Veteran’s Affairs keeps the record straight
“World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
That is why Veteran’s Day is celebrated November 11th every year.
President Wilson had wise words for the day:
“In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words:
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
There were over 20 million veterans in the USA in 2010
That is less than 10% of the US’s adult population. Around 1.6 million veterans are women. In 2016 only 7% of the US population had military experience. Currently, 9 in 10 veterans are men.
Fullmoon Digital is proud to employ a handful of United States veterans, including one woman veteran.
It wasn’t observed yearly until 1926
Congress passed a resolution for annual observance in 1926, but either way it was not observed as a national holiday until 1938. In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day. Veteran’s Day 2020 is only happening because of this, and because of our veteran’s love of country and self sacrifice.
The United States won’t be the only country to recognize Veteran’s Day 2020
In fact, they aren’t the only country to recognize November 11th as an important date ever. Great Britain and a few other countries recognize the day every year with two moments of silence. Each of those countries lost a significant amount of people in the Great War as well.
Check out more facts about veterans here.
Check out more from our Fullmoon Digital team on diversity and holiday prep.
