What is the American holiday Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is a national holiday in the United States that pays tribute to military personnel who died in service to the country. The day is celebrated annually on the last Monday in May.

Formerly known as Decoration Day, several cities have said they have instituted the holiday. However, in 1966, Congress declared Waterloo, New York, to be the "birthplace" of Memorial Day.

Originally, it honored soldiers who died in the Civil War (1861-1865). Currently, everyone who died in war in the service of the United States is celebrated.

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President Donald Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, this Monday (25).

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were also present at the ceremony.

US President Donald Trump participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on May 25, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia - Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Timeline
May 5, 1866 - Residents of Waterloo, New York, celebrated Memorial Day to honor military personnel who died during the Civil War. On that day, businesses closed and people decorated soldiers' graves.

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1868 - General John Alexander Logan officially proclaimed May 30, 1868, as Memorial Day to honor Union soldiers who died in the Civil War. After World War I, southern U.S. states celebrated a separate Memorial Day in honor of fallen Confederates.

1971 - The US Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday in May.

December 28, 2000 - President Bill Clinton signed the "National Moment of Remembrance Act," which designates 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day each year as the national Moment of Remembrance.

American deaths in wars
Civil war: approximately 620,000 Americans died. The Union lost almost 365,000 soldiers and the Confederacy about 260,000. More than half of these deaths were caused by disease.

World War I: 116,516 Americans died, more than half from disease.

World War II: 405,399 Americans died.

Korean War: 36,574 Americans died.

Vietnam conflict: 58,220 Americans died.

Gulf War - Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm: 383 soldiers died.

Iraq War - Operation Iraqi Freedom: 4,410 soldiers died.

Iraq War - Operation New Dawn: 73 soldiers died.

Operation Enduring Freedom (US government's military response to the attacks of September 11, 2001): 2,347 military personnel died.

Source: CNN