Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Veterans Day is seen as federal holiday and a state holiday as well in all states, it is usually observed on November 11. Veterans Day in 2014 is on Tuesday, the 11th of November. If Veterans Day occurs on a Sunday then the following Monday is designated for holiday leave and if it occurs on Saturday then either Saturday or Friday is designated for holiday leave. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, which is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I.
Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. Veterans Day basically honor the 24.9 million military veterans in the United States. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first announced an Armistice Day for November 12, 1919. The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting the President issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies.
Veteran's Day History
An Act approved on May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be there after celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'. In 1953 an idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in World War I but also the American War Dead during World War II. A campaign began to turn Armistice Day into "All" Veterans Day.
The Emporia Chamber of Commerce took up the cause after determining that 90% of Emporia merchants as well as the Board of Education supported closing their doors on November 11, 1953, to honor veterans. With the help of then-U.S. Rep. Ed Rees, also from Emporia, a bill for the holiday was pushed through Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954Congress amended this act on November 8, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with Veterans, and it has been known as Veterans Day since then.