Why we celebrate Veterans Day
The gist
Veterans Day, observed every Nov. 11, began as Armistice Day marking the 1918 end of World War I.
It now honors all who served, about 17.5 million U.S. veterans today.
How it unfolded
- Nov 11, 1918At 11 a.m., an armistice between Germany and the Allied powers ended fighting on the Western Front of World War I — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. An estimated 20 million people died in the war; more than 116,000 Americans never came home and over 200,000 came home wounded.
- 1919America marked its first Armistice Day, a year after the armistice; in November 1919 President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration.
- 1921Two years after the first Armistice Day, America laid an unknown soldier to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
Key terms
- armistice
- An agreement between opposing sides to stop fighting, ending a war or conflict.
- Western Front
- The main theatre of fighting in World War I, running through Belgium and northeastern France.
- Allied powers
- The international military coalition led by France, Britain, Russia, Italy, the US and Japan that fought the Central Powers in World War I.
Source: Wikipedia