By Nathan Johnson, Staff Writer

November 11 is Veterans Day, and when we consider the holiday, we think of services to the people who honor those who fight for our country, but there are some other historical events that happened on Veterans Day that we may not know much about.

1. The holiday started in 1919 when President Wilson proclaimed November 11 to be Armistice Day.

2. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.

3. Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

4. November 11, 1918 – The armistice ending World War I began at 11 am.

5. November 11, 1921 – The first Unknown Soldier is reburied at Arlington National Cemetery. The tomb has the words inscribed, “Here rests in honored glory An American Soldier Known but to God.”

6. In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

7. There are approximately 23.2 Million veterans in the United States that the holiday honors.

8. America’s Parade in New York City is the largest event in the nation celebrating Veterans Day. This year is the parade’s 84th anniversary.

So it is important that we know how Veterans Day got started and why we celebrate today. All federal offices, buildings and public schools are closed on Veterans Day.