Celebrating Veterans Day

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Today, Sunday, November 11, is Veterans Day, a day to salute all living veterans.

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day and originated on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. In 1938, Armistice Day became an official holiday.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, moving Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.

Great Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World War I and World War II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November).