Memorial Day is 161 years old — and its true origin was buried almost immediately
Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, honors fallen U.S. service members and unofficially marks the start of summer. Its origins trace back to the Civil War, with early observances in places like Waterloo, New York, and Charleston, South Carolina, as early as 1865 and 1866. Over time, concerns arose that the holiday's solemn purpose was being overshadowed by leisure activities and commercialism, a trend amplified when Congress moved it to a three-day weekend in 1971. AI
