What was Veterans Day originally called?

Names have power. When Americans first poured into the streets to celebrate the end of World War I, they chose a name that captured the exact moment peace arrived. That original name would stick around for decades, until new wars and new veterans prompted a change. What did Americans first call this November holiday?

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The answer is: Armistice Day

On November 11, 1918, the streets of America erupted in celebration. World War I was over, ended by an armistice signed in a railway car in France. The timing - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - would become part of the holiday's DNA.

Americans called it Armistice Day, a name that got straight to the point. No focus groups needed - this was the day the fighting stopped. Congress made it official in 1938, declaring November 11 a federal holiday dedicated to world peace and the memory of The Great War.

Then World War II arrived, followed by Korea, and that original name started feeling incomplete. The "War to End All Wars" hadn't lived up to its billing, and a new generation of veterans had come home.

Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran from Birmingham, Alabama, proposed a simple but significant change: make the holiday honor all veterans, not just those from WWI. President Eisenhower, who had commanded troops in two wars, agreed. In 1954, Armistice Day officially became Veterans Day.

The timing stayed the same - November 11 still holds its place on the calendar. But the focus shifted from a single moment of peace to a broader recognition of service. While Britain and Canada marked November 11 as Remembrance Day, America chose to look forward as well as back.

The name change wasn't just semantic shuffling. It was an acknowledgment that while peace is worth celebrating, the people who secure it - across all conflicts - deserve their own recognition. Sometimes a new name says it better than the old one ever could.