TRIVIA TODAY - Monday, May 30, 2011Greetings Infomaniacs,Today in the United States we celebrate Memorial Day, a holiday that honors American service members who died during military service. Sure, today ends up being a day off work and a nice time to BBQ with family and friends, but let's not forget the true meaning of the day. Here is more info on the history of Memorial Day...
Enjoy!
MelissaQuestions? Comments?
Email MelissaTODAY'S MYSTERY QUOTEQUOTE: "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."
HINT: (1904-1987), American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion.
RANDOM TIDBITSMemorial Day was a response to the unprecedented carnage of the Civil War, in which some 620,000 soldiers on both sides died. In 1864, women from Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, put flowers on the graves of their dead from the just-fought Battle of Gettysburg. The next year, a group of women decorated the graves of soldiers buried in a Vicksburg, Mississippi, cemetery.
Waterloo, New York., began holding an annual community service on May 5, 1866. Although many towns claimed the title, it was Waterloo that won congressional recognition as the "birthplace of Memorial Day."
Gen. Logan, the speaker at the Carbondale gathering, also was commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans. On May 5, 1868, he issued General Orders No. 11, which set aside May 30, 1868, "for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion...."
??????????????????????????????VIDEO CLIPSaving Private Ryan - D-DaySaving Private Ryan was directed by Steven Spielberg and the winner of 5 Academy Awards. In the movie, US soldiers try to save their comrade, paratrooper Private Ryan, who's stationed behind enemy lines. Watch this clip of D-Day from the film.
Watch It Now: Saving Private Ryan - D-Day??????????????????????????????From the practice of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags, the holiday was long known as Decoration Day. The name Memorial Day goes back to 1882, but the older name didn't disappear until after World War II. Federal law declared "Memorial Day" the official name in 1967.
On May 30, 1868, President Ulysses S. Grant presided over the first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery -- which, until 1864, was Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's plantation. The principal speaker was James A. Garfield, a Civil War general, Republican congressman from Ohio and future president.
General Orders No. 11 stated that "in this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed," but over time several customs and symbols became associated with the holiday. It is customary on Memorial Day to fly the flag at half staff until noon, and then raise it to the top of the staff until sunset.
(Facts from cnn.com)
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