Veteran’s Day is all about honoring our war veterans. It is celebrated on November 11th every year. Veteran’s Day is different from Memorial Day because Memorial Day is about honoring soldiers who have died while serving. Veteran’s Day was set for November 11th because the hostilities of World War I offically ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the German signed the Armistice. An armistice is when all participants in a war agree to stop fighting.
Ed Rees, a U.S. Representative from Emporia, Kansas, sent a bill to Congress to establish the holiday. On May 26, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower who was also from Kansas, signed the bill into law. Then on June 1, 1954, Congress amended this act by changing “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day,” as it is known today.
