ObservanceWednesday, November 11, 2026
Veterans Day
- Date
- Recurs
- Every year on November 11
- Category
- Celebration
Veterans Day falls on November 11 and honors everyone who served honorably in the United States armed forces, in wartime or peacetime, living or dead. The date is not symbolic: it is the hour the guns stopped in the First World War, 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918. For its first 36 years the holiday was called Armistice Day, and for seven years in the 1970s it was not observed on November 11 at all.
History
The armistice between the Allies and Germany took effect at the eleventh hour of November 11, 1918, signed at Compiegne in France. It was a ceasefire, not a peace — the Treaty of Versailles came the following year — but it is the moment the fighting ended, and it is why this holiday has an hour as well as a date.
President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in November 1919, speaking of "solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service." The original form of the observance was two minutes of suspended business beginning at 11 a.m., followed by parades and public meetings. On October 20, 1921, Congress declared November 11 of that year a legal federal holiday; that was the day the Unknown Soldier was buried at Arlington. In 1926 Congress directed the President to issue an Armistice Day proclamation every year, and on May 13, 1938, it made November 11 a permanent legal federal holiday.
All of that was about one war. The change came from a veteran of the next one. In 1947 Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, organized a National Veterans Day observance in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 11 — the date was still officially Armistice Day — and pressed for a holiday that covered everyone who had served. Representative Edward Rees of Kansas carried the bill, and President Eisenhower signed it on June 1, 1954. President Reagan presented Weeks with the Presidential Citizens Medal in November 1982.
Congress then moved the holiday and had to move it back. The Monday Holiday Law of 1968 set the federal observance on the fourth Monday in October, effective 1971. It did not hold: states returned to November 11 through the early 1970s, most of them by 1975, and legislation that year restored the federal date to November 11, effective 1978.
Timeline
- November 11, 1918 — An armistice between the Allies and Germany takes effect at the eleventh hour, signed at Compiegne, France, ending the fighting of the First World War.
- November 1919 — President Wilson proclaims the first Armistice Day, marked by a two-minute suspension of business beginning at 11 a.m.
- October 20, 1921 — Congress declares November 11, 1921 a legal federal holiday; the Unknown Soldier is buried at Arlington that day.
- May 13, 1938 — Congress makes November 11 a permanent legal federal holiday, Armistice Day.
- June 1, 1954 — President Eisenhower signs the bill carried by Rep. Edward Rees of Kansas, renaming the holiday Veterans Day.
- 1968–1978 — The Monday Holiday Law moves the federal observance to the fourth Monday in October from 1971; 1975 legislation returns it to November 11, effective 1978.
How to observe
Keep the two minutes. The first Armistice Day was built around a two-minute pause at 11 a.m., and it remains the most exact way to mark a holiday that commemorates an hour rather than a day.
Record a veteran. The Library of Congress runs the Veterans History Project, which collects first-hand accounts from American war veterans and accepts interviews submitted by the public; it publishes a field kit with the forms, the release and interview guidance. An afternoon with a relative and a recorder puts their account into the national collection permanently.
Get the courtesies right. This day honors all who served; the day for those who died in service is Memorial Day, and the poppy — from John McCrae's 1915 poem "In Flanders Fields" — is traditionally worn then rather than now. There is also no apostrophe in Veterans Day: the Department of Veterans Affairs is explicit that the day does not belong to veterans, it honors them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Veterans Day a federal holiday?
Yes. It is one of the eleven legal public holidays listed in 5 U.S.C. 6103, and it is observed on November 11 whatever the weekday. When November 11 falls on a Saturday, most federal employees observe it the preceding Friday; when it falls on a Sunday, the following Monday.
What is the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day?
Memorial Day honors military personnel who died in service, particularly those killed in battle or from wounds sustained in battle. Veterans Day honors everyone who served honorably, in wartime or peacetime, and is largely a day for thanking living veterans.
Is there an apostrophe in Veterans Day?
No. The Department of Veterans Affairs is explicit about it: the day does not belong to veterans, so the s is not possessive.
Why November 11, and why 11 a.m.?
The armistice that ended the fighting of the First World War took effect at the eleventh hour of November 11, 1918. The first observances in 1919 were built around a two-minute pause at that hour.
Was Veterans Day ever held in October?
Yes, from 1971 through 1977. The Monday Holiday Law of 1968 moved the federal observance to the fourth Monday in October. States went back to November 11 anyway, most by 1975, and 1975 legislation returned the federal date to November 11 effective 1978.
When is Veterans Day?
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | November 11 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | November 11 | Thursday |
| 2028 | November 11 | Saturday |
| 2029 | November 11 | Sunday |
| 2030 | November 11 | Monday |
Sources
- U.S. Army Center of Military History, History of Veterans Day — https://history.army.mil/Research/Reference-Topics/Veterans-Day/-History-of-Veterans-Day/ → the armistice taking effect at the eleventh hour of November 11, 1918 and the Treaty of Versailles following in 1919; Wilson's 1919 proclamation and the two-minute suspension of business at 11 a.m.; the October 20, 1921 act making November 11, 1921 a legal federal holiday and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ceremony that day; the 1926 resolution directing an annual proclamation; the May 13, 1938 act making November 11 a permanent legal federal holiday; Eisenhower signing the name change on June 1, 1954; the 1968 Monday Holiday Law setting the fourth Monday in October effective 1971; states reverting to November 11, most by 1975; and the 1975 legislation returning the federal date to November 11 effective 1978.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, The Origins of Veterans Day — https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/vetday.pdf → Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran, organizing the first "National Veterans Day" observance in Birmingham, Alabama in 1947; Rep. Edward Rees of Kansas carrying the 1954 bill; President Eisenhower signing it; and Weeks receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Reagan in November 1982.
- Library of Congress, Today in History — November 11 — https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/november-11/ → the ceasefire signed at Compiegne, France at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918; Wilson's "solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service"; and the two-minute suspension of business, parades and public meetings.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Day Facts and Information — https://department.va.gov/veterans-day/facts-and-information/ → no apostrophe in Veterans Day and the reason for it; the distinction between Veterans Day and Memorial Day; observance on November 11 regardless of weekday; OPM setting federal closings, with Saturday observed the preceding Friday and Sunday the following Monday; and the poppy, from John McCrae's 1915 poem "In Flanders Fields," being traditionally worn on Memorial Day rather than Veterans Day.
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Federal Holidays — https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ → Veterans Day as a legal public holiday under 5 U.S.C. 6103; the list of eleven; and the weekend observance rules under 5 U.S.C. 6103(b) and Executive Order 11582.
- Library of Congress, Veterans History Project — How to Participate — https://www.loc.gov/programs/veterans-history-project/how-to-participate/ → the project collecting first-hand accounts from American war veterans and accepting interviews submitted by members of the public.
- Library of Congress, Veterans History Project Field Kit — https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/veterans-history-project/documents/vhp-field-kit-complete.pdf → the forms, release and interview guidance published for participants.
Note on sourcing: the public law numbers usually quoted for the 1938, 1954 and 1975 acts are not given by the sources above, so this page gives the dates and omits the numbers.
Rejected as sources: nationaltoday, nationaldaycalendar, checkiday, timeanddate, and content-farm or AI-generated listicles.
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