Veterans Day: when, why it is celebrated and what you should know

(Photo: Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

(CNN) -

Veterans Day is a holiday honoring men and women who have served in the U.S. military and is celebrated on November 11, the anniversary of the end of World War I. .

Facts

According to the most recent data from the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics:

There are approximately 19.5 million veterans in the United States.

There are approximately 2 million female veterans.

As of June 2021, there are 5.18 million veterans receiving disability compensation.

Chronology

November 11, 1918 -

The armistice ending World War I begins at 11 am.

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1919 -

US President Woodrow Wilson proclaims November 11 as Armistice Day.

November 11, 1921 -

The first Unknown Soldier is reburied in Arlington National Cemetery.

The tomb is inscribed with the words: "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but by God."

May 13, 1938 -

Armistice Day becomes a federal holiday.

June 1, 1954

President Dwight Eisenhower signs a bill that changes Armistice Day to Veterans Day to include all US veterans.

• American veterans hurt by the collapse of Afghanistan

May 30, 1958 -

Unknown soldiers from WWII and the Korean War are buried alongside the Unknown Soldier from WWI.

1968 -

Congress changes the date of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October to give federal employees a three-day weekend.

The change begins in 1971.

September 25, 1975 -

President Gerald Ford changes the date of Veterans Day to November 11.

The change begins in 1978.

May 28, 1984 -

An unknown soldier from the Vietnam War is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

In 1998, he is identified by DNA tests as Michael Blassie, a 24-year-old pilot killed in 1972 on the Cambodian border.

Veterans