Memorial Day 2017
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (Old Guard) salute as Taps is heard nearby during "Flags-in", where a flag is placed at each of the 284,000 headstones at Arlington National Cemetery, ahead of Memorial Day, in Arlington, Virginia, May 25, 2017. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

To honor American soldiers who sacrificed their lives serving the country, a Memorial Day is observed last Monday of May every year. The day was declared as a federal holiday in 1971.

The first ever Memorial Day was observed by residents of Waterloo, New York, May 5, 1866, to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War. The war claimed lives of over 620,000 soldiers from both the Union and the Confederate sides. Two years later, Gen. John Alexander Logan proclaimed May 30 as Memorial Day to honor the Union soldiers. However, until after World War I, a separate Memorial Day was celebrated by Southern states to honor the Confederate side.

However, over the years, people began honoring American soldiers died in all wars. In 1971, Congress declared last Monday of May as Memorial Day.

This year’s Memorial Day will be President Donald Trump’s first since assuming the office. He proclaimed the day as “a day of prayer for permanent peace.”

Following are some facts about Memorial Day:

  • About 620,000 people died in the Civil War.
  • Then-President Bill Clinton signed the National Moment of Remembrance Act on Dec. 28, 2000, and designated 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day as a National Moment of Remembrance.
  • The flag is flown at half-mast until noon and then raised to full mast until sunset on the holiday.
  • It is also called as Decoration Day.
  • Red poppies are considered a symbol of remembrance and it's a tradition to wear them to honor the soldiers.
  • Another tradition on Memorial Day is to place coins on the graves of soldiers you visit. Also, different coins carry different meaning — pennies mean you stopped by, dimes mean you served with the deceased and quarters mean you saw the soldier’s death.
  • The American flag is often placed on the graves in national cemeteries.
  • Memorial Day is unofficially considered the beginning of summer in the U.S.
  • Over 20 towns claim to be Memorial Day’s “birthplace,” however Waterloo is only to have federal recognition.
  • Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana and Texas observe a separated Confederate Memorial Day to honor the members of the Confederates, Navy, Marines and militia who died in wars.
  • The American Automobile Association estimated about 39.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home during the Memorial Day weekend.
  • The “Taps” call is often played at ceremonies on Memorial Day.
  • New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday.
  • Some people often confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day. Memorial Day honors the soldiers who died while serving, while Veterans Day honors all U.S. military veterans.
  • Over 300,000 fallen soldiers have been buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. On an average, about 28 burials happen at the cemetery every day.
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