Throughout the world today, flags will be flown, soldiers will march down city streets, and ceremonies held to honor members of the armed services.
Known as Veterans Day in the United States and Remembrance Day or Armistice Day in many countries around the world, the November 11 holiday traces its history to the cease fire of World War 1.
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, an armistice was signed between the Allied nations and Germany in France, ending fighting on the Western Front.
A year later, President Woodrow Wilson declared a moment of silence should be held to honor the armistice.
By 1938, the U.S. Congress made Armistice Day an official holiday. In 1952, President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the day to a day to honor all members of the armed services, not just those who served in World War I.
In many countries, veterans and their families will stop their day for a two-minute moment of silence at 11:00am local time to honor those who serve and have served in the armed forces.
How are you planning to honor Veterans Day today?
Photo source for the featured image: National Archives and Records Administration / Public Domain
