Monday, May 29, 2017

Greetings Infomaniacs,

Today in the United States we celebrate Memorial Day. Although it is known as the day that marks the unofficial start of summer, we need to take a moment to remember the true meaning of the day. It's time to reflect on the brave sacrifices of those who have given their lives for our country. Let's learn more about the history of this holiday.

Enjoy!

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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

HINT: (1755-1776), was a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, officially designated the state hero of Connecticut.

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RANDOM TIDBITS
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. To honor the deceased, soldiers would decorate graves of their fallen comrades with flowers, flags and wreaths. Hence Decoration Day. Although Memorial Day became its official title in the 1880s, the holiday wouldn't legally become Memorial Day until 1967.

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After the Civil War, General John A. Logan, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, called for a holiday commemorating fallen soldiers to be observed every May 30. But due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which took effect in 1971, Memorial Day was moved to the last Monday of May to ensure long weekends.

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In December 2000, Congress passed a law requiring Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day to remember and honor the fallen.

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In addition to the national holiday, nine states officially set aside a day to honor those who died fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War: Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia. The days vary, but only Virginia observes Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of May, in accordance with the federal observance of Memorial Day.

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Waterloo, New York is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. According to the town's website, in 1966 Congress unanimously passed a resolution to officially recognize Waterloo as the birthplace of the holiday. However, it remains a contentious debate, with other towns, like Boalsburg, Pa., claiming the title of "Birthplace of Memorial Day" as well.

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On May 30, 1868, James A. Garfield addressed the several thousand people gathered at Arlington National Cemetery. "If silence is ever golden," Garfield said, "it must be beside the graves of 15,000 men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and whose death was a poem the music of which can never be sung."




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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

ANSWER: Nathan Hale.