Veterans Day

[L Verge]

(11-11-2014 11:09 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  When I was in grade school I think it was called Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I. I do not recall when the name was changed.

You are correct on the original name being Armistice Day commemorating the end of WWI. It was changed to Veterans Day in America in 1954 to commemorate those killed in WWII and Korea.

The significance of the date having to be observed on November 11 (instead of one of those Mondays - which it was briefly set for the fourth Monday in October) is because WWI ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. BTW: The last American killed in that war was killed within a minute after the guns fell silent. He was from Baltimore.

Speaking of "silent," there is actually a photo of that famous moment "When the guns fell silent." The British had something during the war that was like a seismograph (? spelling) that measured the decibels of the gun blasts and printed out a graph-like photo. It actually shows a sudden break in the graph as the guns fell silent.

I think that the horrors of World War I are often overlooked today -- eclipsed by WWII.