Today marks another holiday in the U.S: Veterans Day.
Every year on November 11, Veterans Day honors those who serve and have served in the United States Armed Forces.
First proclaimed by President Wilson in November 1919, the holiday was initially called Armistice Day to honor those who served in World War I. Building upon that, the Act of 1938 then recognized each November 11 as a legal holiday. However, in 1954, the United States Congress replaced the word “Armistice” with “Veterans,” moving to honor veterans of all wars.
Federal Veterans Day observances were briefly moved to October in the early 1970s as a result of the Uniform Holiday Bill, which confused some states that continued to celebrate the holiday on November 11th, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ website. However, in 1975, former President Gerald Ford signed a law moving the Veterans Day federal observance back to November 11 as of 1978.
Communities around the U.S. have held parades celebrating war veterans on this holiday, dating back to the first Armistice Day in 1919. The nation’s largest Veterans Day parade is held in New York, with a procession along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Since Veterans Day is a federal holiday, all banks will be closed today. Online banking and ATMs will be accessible. The stock market and the United States Postal Service will also be closed.
However, the holiday doesn’t guarantee that all workers around the U.S. will get the day off. It is up to individual employers to decide whether they offer time off or additional pay for work on federal holidays.
Find the list in full below:
New Year’s Day: Wednesday, January 1
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Monday, January 20
Inauguration Day: Monday, January 20
Presidents’ Day: Monday, February 17
Memorial Day: Monday, May 26
Juneteenth National Independence Day: Thursday, June 19
Independence Day: Friday, July 4
Labor Day: Monday, September 1
Indigenous Peoples’ Day (also observed as Columbus Day): Monday, October 13
Veterans Day: Tuesday, November 11
Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 27
Christmas Day: Thursday, December 25
Other important days to note:
Valentine’s Day: Friday, February 14
St. Patrick’s Day: Monday, March 17
April Fools’ Day: Tuesday, April 1
Good Friday: Friday, April 18
Easter: Sunday, April 20
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