Veterans Day honors the service of United States military
veterans. It's celebrated every year on Nov. 11, and coincides
with Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in
other parts of the world. These holidays mark the anniversary of
the signing of the armistice that brought forth the temporary
cessation of hostilities during World War I. The armistice was
signed at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November in
1918. World War I officially ended with the signing of the
Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Congress passed a resolution in
1926 for an annual observance of Armistice Day and Nov. 11
became a national holiday starting in 1938. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to
Veterans Day to honor those who served in all American wars.
Here are some other facts about Veterans Day from the U.S.
Census Bureau: - There were 21.5 million military veterans in
the United States in 2011. Of that number, 1.6 million were
female veterans. - Breakdown of U.S. vet