Fun-Filled History And Facts Of Memorial Day

Fun-Filled History And Facts Of Memorial Day

1. The First Speech:

Gen. James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which almost 5,000 members adorned the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate warriors who were buried there. The main Memorial Day address was given by James A. Garfield, who at that time was an Ohio congressman, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in the year 1868. (Memorial day was still known as Decoration Day.) Garfield, a previous Union general, would go ahead to wind up the twentieth president of the United States, however, he died from a professional killer's bullet only 200 days into his first term.

“We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.”

- James A. Garfield
May 30, 1868, Arlington National Cemetery
[Source: http://www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert/memorial-day/history/]

2. General Logan Had Made It Official:

Gen. Logan, the speaker at the Carbondale gathering, also was the Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic which was an association of Union veterans. On May 5, 1868, he issued General Orders No. 11, which set aside May 30, 1868 "with the end goal of strewing with flowers, or generally beautifying the graves of friends who died in defense of their nation amid the late rebellion."
The requests described hope that the recognition would be "kept up from year to year while a survivor of the war stays to respect the memory of his left comrades."Three years after the Civil War ceased, on May 5, 1868, the leader of the Grand Army of the Republic set up Decoration Day as a period for the country to design the graves of the war dead with the flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan announced that Decoration Day ought to be seen on May 30. This date was picked in light of the fact that flowers would be blooming everywhere, throughout the nation.

3. Why Red Poppies?

In 1915, Moina Michael composed a poem about war. This was when she came up with an idea of wearing red poppies on Memorial day out of appreciation for the veterans who lost their lives while serving the country during the war. Miss Moina Michael was the first person to wear them and give Red Poppies to her companions and associates with the cash which was so collected was going to the benefit of veterans in need. This convention of utilizing red poppies to respect the fallen and to raise money for the groups of veterans has lost its fame yet has not been entirely disregarded.

4. The Flag Custom:

Flowers and Flags are the two most famous items individuals use to remember the fallen. On Memorial Day, the flag ought to be at half-staff until noon, then raised to the highest point of the staff. Flags are placed on the graves and by columbarium by approved veterans associations for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Flags are not allowed on graves at any other time. The Circle of Flags gives year round honor to all veterans buried in the burial ground.

5. The Interment Day:

Floral showcases using natural flowers (in non-glass holders) might be put upon the arrival of interment to stay for a period not to surpass 48 hours. At the columbarium, blooms might be placed on the ground before the corner. Graveyard staff will evacuate flowers if wilted, blurred, or generally unattractive before the apportioned time.

6. Flowers on Existing Graves:

Freshly cut flowers might be put throughout the year, either in the grave or in the flower beds that are opposite to the columbarium corner. Plastic vases might be utilized from Apr. 1 – Oct. 15 and are given by the cemetery at the water stations (in wood supported container). Different holders (glass, clay, and so forth.) are not permitted.
Artificial flowers are allowed just amid the time of Oct. 15 – Mar. 31 either on the grave or in the blossom beds opposite the columbarium specialty. The flowers can stay just for a period not to surpass 10 days. Artificial flowers exceeding the limit of 10 days will be evacuated and discarded by burial ground staff.
Memorial day floral showcases and/or potted yearly plants in non-fragile compartments are allowed 5 days before to 5 days after Memorial Day. Plotted plants must be annuals and holders should not cross 8 inches in breadth. Flowers left on graves will be planted by burial ground staff in the nurseries.
Holiday Wreaths (new or artificial) might be put on the grave sites from Dec. 1 – Jan. 2. Wreaths may not be secured to the tombstones, and wreath stands are not permitted, be it at any time.

7. Separate Holidays:

The Union lost around 360,000 warriors during the war, contrasted with the 260,000 who died in the South. For quite a long time, the South disregarded the Union's Memorial Day festivities, rather watching its own different occasion to respect Confederate war dead till after World War I, when Memorial Day was extended to recollect the dead from all United States clashes. A few southern states still observe Confederate Memorial Day, despite the fact that the occasion happens on April 26, May 10, May 30 or June 2, contingent upon the state. The occasion is not without debate, nonetheless, with some contending that it glorifies a piece of American history committed to protecting slavery. The south declined to respect the dead on Memorial Day until after World War I when the significance of Memorial Day changed from regarding civil war dead to regarding Americans who passed on battling in any war.

8. 1971 Was The Year When Memorial Day Was First Declared a Government Holiday:

The holiday's Decoration Day moniker waited until 1882, yet the day wasn't an official occasion until 1967. The occasion was held on May 30 until 1971, when Congress altered the date as the last Monday in May. The occasion was formally renamed Memorial Day in 1967, when President Johnson marked enactment to that impact.

9. Hot-Dogs Consumed Per Second: More Than 800

Memorial Day not only is the introduction to summers but hot-dog eating season as well. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council noticed that beginning on Memorial Day, Americans will expend a stomach-busting 818 sausages every second. That is only a couple of wieners short of 71 million in a day. While we're not certain what number of bundles that is almost equivalent to, we're wagering the comparable number of bun packs would fall short by, oh, 1.3 million or thereabouts.

10. Approximately 1.5 Million T.V. viewers of Memorial Day Parade:

Put on since 2005, the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. marks the biggest of its kind in the USA, and ought to effectively draw in 250,000 live observers. It begins at 2 p.m.
In an unusual gesture to non-custom, Rock Bad Boy Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins will take an interest. Corgan and organization discharged the track "Drum and Fife" to raise public awareness about soldiers experiencing PTSD.

11. The Playing Of ‘Taps’:

The 24-note bugle call is played at the all military funerals and remembrance administrations.
It has frequently been reported in books and stories that the most celebrated cornet melody originated from a Civil War commander who found his lost child in a field of the Confederate body, however, this is just an urban legend. The well-known bugle tune originates from Union Brig. Gen Daniel Butterfield amid the Civil War. He couldn't have cared less for the "standard discharging of three rifle volleys at the end of internments amid fight" and needed a milder and much grave trumpet melody to respect his fallen troopers. Historians believe he changed a French trumpet tune called named "Tattoo" that served as their armed force's "lights out" call and reworked the notes to the commonplace tune of "Taps."

12. Waterloo, New York is Perceived for Holding the Main Recognition of Memorial Day:

A few towns claim they were the first to hold Memorial Day administrations, however, the legislature formally recognizes Waterloo as the origination of the occasion. The town guarantees that local pharmacist Henry C. Welles proposed sorting out a recognition administration at a get-together. Arrangements were made with Welles and Civil War Gen. John B. Murray for the next year and the custom proceeded. President Lyndon B. Johnson marked an announcement respecting Waterloo as the "Origination of Memorial Day" in 1966. All things considered, in 1966, the government proclaimed Waterloo, New York, the official origination of Memorial Day. Waterloo—which had initially praised the day on May 5, 1866—was picked in light of the fact that it facilitated a yearly, community-wide occasion, amid which organizations shut and inhabitants embellished the graves of warriors with flowers & flags.

13. Every Memorial Day is Different

Gravitas returned on May 30 of 1922, when the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated. Preeminent Court Chief Justice (and previous president) William Howard Taft committed the landmark before a horde of 50,000 individuals, isolated by race, and which incorporated a column of Union and Confederate veterans. This was also attended by Lincoln's surviving son, Robert Todd Lincoln.