1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: Lauren bog obam here. For many Americans, this holiday has 3 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: traditionally signaled the sort of soft opening of summer and 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: the first chance of the year to bust out those 5 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: grilling skills. But Memorial Day signifies a lot more than that. 6 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,240 Speaker 1: Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, and the tradition 7 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: dates back to the eighteen sixties, when men and women 8 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: decorated the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers with wreaths, flowers, flags, 9 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:35,559 Speaker 1: and other items. The inspiration for the day came from 10 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: local observances that had been popping up throughout the country 11 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: in the three years following the war. General John A. 12 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal 13 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: organization for veterans of the Union Army, was responsible for 14 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: declaring the nationwide Day of Remembrance in eighteen sixty eight. 15 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: In his proclamation, Logan wrote, thirty of May eighteen sixty 16 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: eight is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers 17 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in 18 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: defense of their country during the Late Rebellion and whose 19 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet 20 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 1: churchyard in the land. Was somewhat of a neutral date 21 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: because it wasn't the anniversary of any one specific Civil 22 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,759 Speaker 1: War battle. That first national commemoration was a major event 23 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:25,040 Speaker 1: at Arlington National Cemetery, with a speech from former Union 24 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: general and sitting Ohio Congressman James Garfield. Following Garfield's words 25 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: to attendees, five thousand participants joined in to decorate the 26 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: graves of more than twenty thousand soldiers, both Union and Confederate, 27 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: who were buried at Arlington. That tradition still lives on 28 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: at Arlington to this day, usually involving the current US 29 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: President or Vice president laying a wreath at the tomb 30 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: of the unknown soldier and the ceremonial placement of American 31 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: flags on every grave. This isn't the only account of 32 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: the holiday's history, though. Yale historian David W. Blight traces 33 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: Memorial Day back to a series of commemorations eighteen sixty 34 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: five held by freed black Americans after Union soldiers, including 35 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: members of the twenty first United States Colored Infantry, liberated 36 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: the port city of Charleston, South Carolina. Blite wrote in 37 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: a twenty eleven New York Times essay, the war was 38 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: over and Memorial Day had been founded by African Americans 39 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: in a ritual of remembrance and consecration. The war, they 40 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: had boldly announced, had been about the triumph of their 41 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 1: emancipation over slaveholders republic. They were themselves the true patriots. 42 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: While Blite's origin theory isn't universally accepted, the facts behind 43 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: the story are worth keeping in mind when honoring this 44 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 1: Memorial Day either way. Although the commemoration was originally intended 45 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: to pay homage to Civil War soldiers and events, as 46 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: the United States entered World War One in nineteen seventeen, 47 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: the holiday evolved to honor the lives of any U 48 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: s military personnel lost in any war, and a full 49 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: century after the first commemoration, in nineteen sixty eight, Congress 50 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: passed the un form Monday Holiday Act in an effort 51 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: to create three day weekends for federal employees. The change 52 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: went into effect in ninety one, and since that switch, 53 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: Decoration Day became Memorial Day, and the holiday has been 54 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: observed on the last Monday in May every year. As 55 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: far as holidays go, Memorial Day does some heavy lifting 56 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,919 Speaker 1: in terms of the sheer number of people it pays 57 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: tribute to. A few stats to keep in mind. More 58 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: than forty five million soldiers have served the United States 59 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 1: during wartime. More than one million, three hundred and fifty 60 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: thousand Americans have died in armed conflicts around the world. 61 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: There are two hundred and sixty thousand graves at Arlington 62 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: National Cemetery, and each one is decorated with an American 63 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: flag on Memorial Day. And speaking of the flag, traditionally, 64 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: American flags are raised to the top of the mast 65 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: the morning of Memorial Day, then slowly lowered half masted 66 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: until noon, and then flown at full mast the rest 67 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: of the day. But of course, over the decades since 68 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: its official and section, Memorial Day has taken on somewhat 69 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: of a hybrid vibe, as many Americans consider the extra 70 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: day off as a way to usher in summer. In 71 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: previous years, millions of Americans traveled over the weekend and 72 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: some six as fired up a grill. It's yet to 73 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 1: be seen how will observe the day this year. Today's 74 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: episode was written by Michelle Constantinovski and produced by Tyler Clang. 75 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: For more on this and lots of other topics because 76 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: it has stuff works dot Com. Brain Stuff is production 77 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 1: off I heart Radio. For more podcasts from My heart Radio, 78 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 79 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.