Veterans Day (November 11)
Veterans Day is a national holiday when we honor individuals who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces (alive or deceased) in service of the United States.
Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day and celebrated the end of World War I, which ended on November 11, 1918. World War I is one war the U.S. fought in the 1900s. Woodrow Wilson was the President of the United States during World War I. Armistice Day was officially recognized by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. It began to be observed throughout the world, honoring those who fought to end of the "Great War."
In 1954, U.S. veterans asked Congress to write a law that changed the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day. The U.S. Congress makes federal laws. On June 1, 1954, Congress passed a law for Veterans Day to be a national holiday to honor men and women (alive or deceased) who have served in the U.S. military.
Today, we celebrate Veterans Day each year on November 11.
Thanksgiving (Fourth Thursday in November)
"Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima," photographed by Joe Rosenthal. Courtesy of the Associated Press, 1945.
Thanksgiving is a national U.S. holiday that is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving celebrates a harvest meal shared by Native Americans and English colonists in 1621. In November 1621, English colonists were trying to create a colony in Massachusetts. A Native American tribe called the Wampanoag gathered with the colonists in the fall for a harvest feast.
Today, the people in the United States gather with family and friends on Thanksgiving to share a meal and reflect on the reasons why they are thankful.
An early Thanksgiving celebration.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services