In 1938, November 11 was designated by Congress as Armistice Day, a federal holiday honoring the end of World War I. The date marked the 1918 armistice that stopped fighting on the Western Front at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Ceremonies in the United States honored veterans and those killed in the war, often with moments of silence. After World War II and the Korean War, veterans groups urged that the holiday recognize all veterans, not only those from World War I. In 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day while keeping the same date. The holiday now honors service members from every American war and era.
