5 Memorial Day Facts That Will Impress Your Family And Friends

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Memorial Day is here and people around the country are prepping for the summer, beach season, backyard barbecues and parties with family and friends. But do you know the history of Memorial Day? Here are a couple of facts that you might not have known about this day.

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1. Memorial Day started after the American Civil War in 1868. Originally starting out as Decoration Day when people began visiting the graves of dead soldiers. It was also originally created to celebrate only Civil War soldiers, but it soon progressed to include soldiers of all wars.

2. Waterloo, N.Y. is recognized as the official birthplace of Memorial Day by the government. This is despite several communities celebrating the day separate from this recognition. Although it took until 1968 for the federal government to officially declare  it as a public holiday.

3. Red poppies, which originated in England, are seen as signs of remembrance for Memorial Day.

4. Some states have Confederate observation despite the holiday originally being linked to Union stories. These are of course mostly Southern states including Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas.

5. Memorial Day now marks the start of  a number of things, including Spring cleaning, the start of summer, and the start of barbecue season!

Do you know any cool facts about Memorial Day? And how do you celebrate it? Happy Memorial Day!

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