Veterans Day

[4Lindsey]

Originally called Armistice Day, Veterans Day was not an official holiday unitl about 20 years after it was first celebrated at the end of World War 1. The first Armisitice Day was held on November 11th, 1919, and during this day veterans paraded through their hometowns while politicians and community leaders thanked them for their hard work that had finally brought peace. Armistice day was declared a federal holiday in 1938, one year before the second world war broke out. It continued to be observed after that victory as well.

The holiday was renamed from Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1953. This was done after people in Emporia, Kansas called it so to honor their town's veterans. After all, Armisice wasn't the most common or relatable word for the day (An armistice is a time in a war when warring partiesagree to stop fighting, although it may not necessarily mean the end of the war). So, a Kansas congressmen introduced a bill to change the name, and Congress voted to pass it. From then on, it was known as the Veterans Day we are familiar with.

I thought this was some nice info. I understand why this topic fits in so nicely with WW1, since we'll be learning about that soon. What did I learn? Armistice. Not your common vocabulary word. I had to look it up. Some pics:

A newspaper heading declaring the end of fighting in WW1.

http://www.pineywoodsmarines.org/pics/web/07vdp/8.jpg&t=1">

An example of a Veterans Day parade.


Sources:
http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/unitssubjhol/a/veteransday.htm
http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_Group_WestChesterUniversityWebQuestBuilders/AWorldAtWar

[Mr. Bruns]

Good job!