People around the U.S. mark Memorial Day today, Monday, May 29th, honoring those who paid the ultimate price for freedom.

Memorial Day is observed on the fourth Monday in May. It is often confused with Veterans Day, a holiday with a different purpose, marked each year on Nov. 11.

Memorial Day

The history of Memorial Day dates back to May 5, 1868, three years after the Civil War ended. On that day, Major Gen. John Logan, head of the organization of Union Veterans – the Grand Army of the Republic – established Decoration Day as a time to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.

He set the commemoration day on May 30.

The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places as well.

By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation.  It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.

Memorial Day remains a time set aside for remembering and honoring military personnel that died in the service of their country, particularly those killed in battle.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is on Nov. 11, a tradition that marks the end of World War I. The day was later expanded to include veterans of all wars, both living and dead.

Veterans Day honors all those who served in the U.S. military, whether in war or peacetime.