5 Fascinating Facts About Memorial Day

Not everything Made In The U.S.A. is built in a factory. Some of our holidays have a distinct American style, Memorial Day, for one. Since the end of the Civil War, this tradition of reverence has reinvented itself and grown to include car races, barbecues, and sales alongside moments of silence, flags at half-mast, and flowers. To celebrate the upcoming holiday in honor of our fallen soldiers, we remember five facts that you may or may not know.

A Truly Moving Memorial

First celebrated shortly after the Civil War, Memorial Day was held each May 30th for over a century. Then, in 1971, it found its official home on the last Monday in May.

What’s in A Name

Originally the holiday to commemorate fallen soldiers was called Decoration Day. It didn’t become known as Memorial Day until 1968.

April Showers Bring May Flowers…and Memorial Day

Ever wondered why Memorial Day is held in May? Flowers are a big part of the holiday and Union General John Logan believed by late May, flowers all across the U.S.A. would be in bloom.

Flowers and Flags

Estimates put the number of flags made in the U.S.A. at nearly 94%

Flowers have been associated with Memorial Day since its beginning, but it was the Boy Scouts of America that helped make flags a tradition. In 1951, the Scouts placed 150,000 flags on grave sites at the Jefferson National Barracks Cemetery in St. Louis. The gesture caught on quickly and today is as well-known a tradition as flying flags at half-mast or observing a moment of silence.

Gentlemen, Start Your…Remembrance!

In stark contrast to the quiet reverence, when the full field of 33 race cars rev their engines, they produce 140 decibels—equivalent of standing just 50 feet away from a 737 on takeoff!

The National Moment of Remembrance Act made keeping a moment of silence at 3:00pm on Memorial Day an official tradition. But other, unofficial, Memorial Day traditions aren’t quite as quiet. The Indianapolis 500 has been scheduled to coincide with Memorial Day ever since the race’s start in 1911.