While enjoying the long weekend, it wouldn’t hurt to pause a moment and remember.
Memorial Day traces its roots to the Civil War, and many cities lay claim to founding the holiday. But in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Waterloo, N.Y., its birthplace. That proclamation marked the centennial of Waterloo’s first Memorial Day in 1866, a year after the Civil War ended.
The first federal observance of Memorial Day was in 1868, when Gen. John Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a general order for the decoration of Union and Confederate graves in Arlington National Cemetery with flowers on May 30. Often known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day was held on May 30 for many years.
More Top Picks Best Pressure Canners For Canning
The holiday later changed to honor Americans killed in any war, and now the holiday floats to the last Monday in May.