The Library will be closed on Saturday, November 11 in honor of Veterans Day. Thank you to all the men and women who have served in the armed forces of our country to protect us from those who would see our freedom to read and say what we wish diminished.
Did you know that the Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day? World War I ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. President Woodrow Wilson declared Armistice Day on the same day in 1919 to commemorate the nation’s “solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service.”
In 1926, Congress asked President Calvin Coolidge to issue a proclamation every year to observe November 11 as a day of commemoration. It wasn’t until 1938 that Armistice Day was was codified by Congress into a national holiday.
The next big change to the holiday came in 1945, when a WWII veteran named Raymond Weeks, together with General Dwight Eisenhower, expended the celebration to include all veterans of all wars–living or dead. This was codified by Congress in 1954. Armistice Day was officially renamed Veterans Day.
From 1971-1977, Veterans Day didn’t actually fall on November 11 due to an initiative to make all national holidays fall on Mondays. It ended up in October during those years, until it was moved back to its proper place (11-11) once more.
One more fun fact: there is no apostrophe in Veterans Day. That’s official!